Singapore’s first hydrogen power plant expected by early 2026

Singapore-Republic is expected to acquire its first hydrogen-enabled power plant by early 2026. This is because Singapore will transition its power sector to use less carbon-emitting fuels.

According to Keppel Infrastructure, Mitsubishi Power and Jurong Engineering Limited, the Keppel Sakura Cogen plant, capable of running entirely on clean-burning hydrogen in the future, will be built on Jurong Island and will generate up to 600 megawatts ( MW) of electricity. In a statement on Tuesday (August 30).

This represents about 9% of Singapore’s peak electricity demand in 2020 and could power about 864,000 four-room Housing Commission apartments in a year.

The combined cycle gas turbine power plant developed by Keppel Infrastructure will use natural gas as the primary fuel for the foreseeable future.

But the plant is also designed to run on fuel with a 30% hydrogen content, which produces less carbon than fossil fuels, and has the ability to transition to running entirely on hydrogen, they said. Stated.

Hydrogen can be obtained in several ways, and when used as a fuel, water is produced as a by-product.

About 95% of Singapore’s energy is now generated from natural gas, the least polluting fossil fuel.

Compared to Keppel’s other power plants, the use of more energy efficient technology and hydrogen at the Keppel Sakura Cogen power plant will lead to a reduction in carbon emissions of 220,000 tonnes per year. the company said.

In addition, the power plant will be able to produce steam that energy and chemical customers on Jurong Island can use in their industrial processes, they added.

The plant, estimated to cost around $750 million, will be built by a consortium of Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific and Jurong Engineering Limited.

The latest move to develop hydrogen-friendly infrastructure comes as Singapore aims to have net zero carbon emissions from its power sector, which accounts for 40% of the country’s emissions, by 2050. is. The Authority (EMA) has designated the use of low-carbon hydrogen to meet energy demand as one of the strategies to reach this goal.

Countries around the world are increasing their production of hydrogen to reduce polluting greenhouse gas emissions, and the Global Hydrogen Council has announced a total of 680 projects worth US$240 billion (S$330 billion). is reporting. months ago.