JAKARTA - Singapore could start importing 2 gigawatts of renewable energy from Indonesia every year within five years. This is the Republic's biggest effort to date to introduce low-carbon electricity.
The import will meet about 15 percent of Singapore's annual needs and will be the country's largest cross-border electricity contract to date.
Along with a similar deal to grant conditional permission to import 1 gigawatt of electricity a year from Cambodia , Singapore is three-quarters of the way to its goal of importing up to 4 gigawatts of electricity a year by in the year 2035.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) said on Friday it had granted conditional approval for five projects to import a total of 2 gigawatts of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia to Singapore.
Five project management companies Among them: Pacific Medco Solar, Adaro Solar International, EDP Renewables Asia Pacific, Vanda RE and Keppel Energy.
Second Minister of Trade and Industry Tan Si Ling told The Straits Times on Friday that the issuance of these permits is a "game changer" for Singapore's green energy ambitions.
"Singaporeans should have full confidence that we are on track to meet our low-carbon electricity import target of 4 gigawatts by 2035, as we committed to earlier this year," he said.
The EEA said the conditional permit was issued after a preliminary assessment that the proposed electricity import project is technically and commercially feasible.
The ministry said: "Conditional permits help companies obtain the necessary regulatory approvals and licenses for their projects."
This statement is based on various agreements between Indonesia and Singapore regarding energy cooperation, including low-carbon energy and cross-border electricity interconnection.
This latest agreement was signed by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif and Dr Tan on the sidelines of the Indonesia Sustainable Development Forum in Jakarta on Friday.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Dr Tan said the agreement will increase areas of cooperation between the two countries and provide a strong framework to facilitate project implementation.
"The world is experiencing a major energy transition. We must achieve net zero emissions while maintaining energy security and economic competitiveness," said Dr Tan.
"Through international cooperation, we can work together to jointly plan and implement the energy transition and move towards a shared energy future."
