PACIFICLIGHT Power has been awarded the right to build, own and operate a hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) on Jurong Island by the Energy Market Authority (EMA).
This follows the authority’s June 2024 launch of its request for proposal for new generation capacity.
The total costs of the project are about S$1 billion, which will be incurred over the three-year construction period, said PacificLight.
On Friday (Jan 3), EMA said PacificLight was selected from a total of six proposals submitted to develop the project.
PacificLight is owned by shareholders of Hong Kong-based investment holding company First Pacific Group, and Meralco PowerGen Corporation, the power-generation arm of the Philippines’ Manila Electric Company.
The power generation and electricity retail company is estimated to generate close to 10 per cent of Singapore’s annual electricity demand.
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It is also constructing a 100 megawatt (MW) “fast start” unit, which can quickly generate energy when power supply disruptions happen. EMA awarded the company the contract for this in April 2024.
The upcoming CCGT facility is slated to be operational in 2029, and is expected to have at least 600 MW in generation capacity.
It will include a large-scale battery-energy storage system that will make it the first CCGT unit in Singapore to be integrated with this system.
“The new plant will play a critical role in strengthening Singapore’s energy security, enhancing grid stability and advancing the nation’s transition towards a low-carbon future,” said PacificLight in a separate statement on Friday.
It added that the facility will be “largest single and most efficient state-of-the art H-class CCGT in Singapore”.
The plant will be built on a greenfield site which PacificLight described as “sufficiently sized” for a second CCGT unit, along with potential for the future integration of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology.
PacificLight’s chief executive Yu Tat Ming said: “By integrating hydrogen-ready and battery storage technologies, the new facility will position PacificLight to transition to a low-carbon future. We are committed to delivering the new plant safely and on schedule.”
Noting a steady rise in electricity demand over the years, EMA projected Singapore’s power system peak demand to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.7 to 5.7 per cent over the next six years, reaching between 10.1 gigawatts (GW) and 11.8 GW by 2030.
“Additional power generation capacity will be required in 2029 to meet the projected growth in electricity demand and ensure the power system’s reliability,” it said.
Said its chief executive Puah Kok Keong: “EMA will continue to work with the industry to ensure the reliability and security of the power system, as we transition towards a low-carbon energy future.”
