- EMA approved Singapore’s first large-scale 24/7 renewable power import, 1 GW from Sarawak via a 700 km subsea cable.
- The Sembcorp–Sarawak Energy project, set for 2035, advances regional cooperation and the ASEAN Power Grid.
The Energy Market Authority of Singapore (EMA) granted conditional approval for the import of renewable energy from Sarawak, Malaysia, marking a major step in Singapore’s regional power integration and decarbonisation strategy.
Sembcorp Utilities, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, and Sarawak Energy Berhad, Malaysia’s largest renewable energy developer, will develop the project, which involves transmitting power through over 700 kilometres of subsea cables.
Meanwhile, the initiative, described as Singapore’s first large-scale 24/7 renewable power import project, aims to deliver about 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable electricity to Singapore, generated mainly from hydropower sources in Sarawak. The partners plan to begin operations around 2035.
Furthermore, the consortium has signed a preferred supplier agreement with Prysmian, an Italian cable manufacturer, to optimise the subsea interconnector’s design, installation, and protection systems. SP PowerInterconnect will serve as the project’s technical partner.
“We are pleased to receive our second Conditional Approval for low-carbon electricity import. Together with our earlier approval to import 1.2GW from Vietnam, this brings us closer to achieving 2.2GW of imports, contributing to Singapore’s 6GW target by 2035,” said Wong Kim Yin, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sembcorp Industries.
Sembcorp said the project will not only facilitate renewable energy imports but also strengthen regional energy cooperation, enhance energy security, and support the ASEAN Power Grid, a regional initiative to improve energy connectivity and resilience across Southeast Asia.