Proposal to import 500MW of renewable electricity from Laos to S’pore mooted

SINGAPORE – Singapore’splan to beef up its energy security via electricity imports could be strengthened if a proposal to bring in up to 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from Laos comes to fruition.

This amount, which makes up slightly over 4% of Singapore’s current generation capacity of 12 gigawatts (GW), will mainly come from hydropower dams in Laos, according to plans by Tuas Power, a Laotian conglomerate and its national grid operator.

But as hydropower is a resource that may not be available during the dry season, the electricity imported into Singapore could be supplemented by other renewable energy sources in Laos, including solar and wind, said Tuas Power chief operating officer Michael Wong.

The three parties – Tuas Power, Electricite Du Laos and Phongsupthavy Group – on Oct 30 signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a long-term energy cooperation arrangement lasting between five years and 15 years.

It was inked on the sidelines of Singapore International Energy Week at Marina Bay Sands.

Wong said the three firms are securing approvals for the proposal.

In Singapore, before a company is granted an electricity import licence from the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the Republic’s energy regulator, it has to undergo three stages.

The first stage entails the firm obtaining EMA’s “conditional approval”, which indicates that a project’s proposal is technically and commercially viable. The firm will then begin further surveys and feasibility studies.

If the firm can demonstrate its ability to meet the requirements of both the host country and Singapore, EMA will then award it a conditional licence.

The third and last step is when EMA issues the importer licence.

Tuas Power said in a statement that Laotian hydropower imports are expected to ramp up from 100MW of electricity in the first contract year to 300MW in the second and 500MW thereafter.

Wong said the companies will be working to secure buyers for the imported electricity, approvals from the authorities and the necessary certificates by 2027.

He said the company also plans to expand existing energy infrastructure, such as by laying new cables, over the years as demand rises.

The power generation firm hopes to appeal to businesses looking to green their electricity supply,and potential customers could include data centres and semiconductor companies, several of which are Tuas Power’s existing customers.

Wong said: “Through this potential collaboration with Phongsupthavy Group and Electricite Du Lao s, Tuas Power can offer customers with immediate bundled renewable energy solutions – hydropower paired with certified environmental attributes.”

While the partnership had been in the works since 2023, some time was needed to ensure a stable volume of electricity, he added.

Souksavart Sosouphanh, managing director of Electricite Du Laos, welcomed the opportunity to explore the collaboration between Tuas Power and Phongsupthavy Group, which is “a strategic developer of renewable and energy-mix power generation appointed by the Government of Laos with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce”.

He added: “Regional power trade in ASEAN has made good progress in recent years, and we believe deeper cooperation among like-minded partners can support a more integrated ASEAN Power Grid.

“We look forward to working together to examine how Laos’ hydropower resources can contribute to the region’s energy needs.”

Somlath Mek Akath, managing director of Phongsupthavy Group, said the electricity will flow from the conglomerate’s projects in northern and southern Laos, noting that the key obstacle for the partnership will be securing the bilateral contracts that authorise the cross-border flow of electricity.

The group’s chairman Phongsavath Senaphuan added: “We recognise that hydropower is a seasonal resource, and we will work towards a supply profile that is transparent and deliverable, should the arrangement proceed.”

When fully scaled up to 500MW, the electricity imported under this proposal is more than double the 200MW of permitted capacity under an existing power integration project involving Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Launched in 2022, the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project involves exporting hydropower from Laos to Singapore.

That effort has been touted as a precursor to theASEAN Power Grid, a regional power grid that aims to bring socio-economic growth and greener electricity to member states that need it, such as Singapore.

The first phase of the project enabled Singapore to import up to 100MW via existing interconnectors. Keppel had been granted the licence to import electricity under the project.

Its renewal in 2024, however, was momentarily snagged by disagreements over how the energy was to be transmitted through Thailand and Malaysia, before they were resolved in January 2026.

Electricity imports are one pillar in Singapore’s strategy to boost its energy security through a portfolio of energy sources. Conditional approvals have been granted to 13 projects to import 9.25GW of low-carbon electricity from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Other energy sources Singapore is considering include geothermal and nuclear.

Source: The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/proposal-to-import-500mw-renewable-electricity-from-laos-to-spore-mooted-boosting-energy-security?ref=latest