Singapore’s hydrogen power plans face supply, land hurdles

PacificLight’s 670-MW plant is under construction for completion in 2029.

Singapore’s push to use hydrogen-ready gas turbines to meet rising electricity demand faces hurdles in fuel supply, storage, land availability, and higher hydrogen blends, even as the technology is already proven at 30% hydrogen compatibility.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has asked private developers to build, own, and operate hydrogen-ready combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) units, with projects targeted for operation in 2031 and 2032.

Darwin Chia, director of the Electricity Network and Generation Department at EMA, said they expect to award the proposal for the 2031 unit in the third quarter and the 2032 unit in the fourth.

The request for proposal calls for capacity that can help maintain a required reserve margin of at least 27% as electricity demand rises.

“EMA’s 27% required reserve margin threshold is actually structurally sound and also follows the so-called best global practices,” Teo Tee Hui, a senior lecturer for Engineering Product Development at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, told Singapore Business Review via Zoom.

EMA expects electricity demand to grow 2.4% to 4.8% annually from 2025 to 2034, driven by economic growth, data centres, semiconductor manufacturing, and other advanced manufacturing activities.

Teo said the required reserve margin is based on Monte Carlo simulations that account for peak demand forecasts and planned and unplanned power failures, including those affecting intermittent solar photovoltaic generation.

The margin is based on a target of three hours of lost load a year, when available generation is insufficient to meet demand because of maintenance, repairs, or forced brownouts.

Singapore’s isolated electricity grid and single interconnection with Malaysia also limit its ability to obtain emergency power if a local plant fails, Teo said.

The request for proposal is already translating into construction. PacificLight Power Pte Ltd.’s 670-megawatt (MW) hydrogen-ready CCGT plant, which will include a battery energy storage system, is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2029.

The project will be owned by PLM Pte Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of PacificLight, PacificLight CEO Yu Tat Ming, told Singapore Business Review.

“The company has secured financing from a consortium of local and international banks,” he said in an emailed reply to questions.

Singapore’s 30% hydrogen-compatibility benchmark is based on technology that has been tested at utility scale, Teo said.

Mitsubishi Power Ltd., Siemens Energy AG, and GE Vernova, Inc. have validated 30% hydrogen blending and tested blends as high as 50%.

“The first advanced units, such as the Keppel Sakra Cogen Pte. Ltd. plant and the YTL PowerSeraya Pte. Ltd. cogeneration facility, utilise fully tested, pre-tested OEM (original equipment manufacturer) turbine configurations designed to handle 30% blending,” Teo said.

Higher hydrogen blends remain harder to achieve. A 100% hydrogen blend needs a turbine design that is not commercially available, he pointed out.

Fuel supply is another constraint. Teo identified Australia as a potential source of green hydrogen, citing Singapore’s memorandum of understanding and green economy agreement with the country, although neither provides a confirmed operating import arrangement.

Storage could be a bigger hurdle because hydrogen requires more infrastructure than natural gas, he said.

Land is another constraint, with hydrogen-ready CCGT projects including PacificLight’s and Keppel Sakra’s units concentrated on Jurong Island.

Chia said land use is an evaluation criterion under the request for proposal as Singapore balances energy security and reliability against limited land availability.

Teo said replacing power plants doesn't happen quickly because consumers and businesses couldn’t remain without electricity for extended periods.

“We cannot change the power plant completely overnight,” he said. “No one wants to stay for three months, six months, or even one year without power. “So this kind of transition is a reasonable approach.”