Government ministries from Singapore and the US have announced the start of a joint feasibility study on regional energy connectivity, advancing energy cooperation plans first mooted in July 2022.
The feasibility study will be jointly conducted by Singapore and the US over two phases, according to a joint ministerial statement on energy cooperation by the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, Energy Market Authority of Singapore and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) on April 3.
The first phase includes reviews of existing and potential power interconnections in Asean, as well as the socioeconomic benefits of regional energy connectivity.
The second phase covers the legal and governance frameworks, as well as financing arrangements needed, to facilitate regional energy connectivity.
Both parties target to share initial findings from the first phase by October.
The study is intended to facilitate the development of the Asean Power Grid (APG) initiative, as well as support regional efforts to deploy renewable energy and collectively decarbonise.
The study will be conducted with partners from the Net Zero World Initiative, a consortium of 10 US DOE national laboratories, and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).
Both countries first expressed interest in a feasibility study at the sidelines of the US-Southeast Asia Clean Energy Roundtable in Singapore on July 14, 2022. Then, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Singapore Second Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng met to further both countries’ energy collaborations, including the US-Singapore Climate Partnership.
