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Sembcorp Gets Conditional Approval for Singapore Power Imports

lite News Desk 2 min read

Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd has received conditional approval from Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) for 1.3 GW of electricity imports under the Vietnam-Malaysia-Singapore initiative. According to Sembcorp’s announcement, the regulator granted the approval on October 26, 2026.

The proposed project would connect renewable electricity supplies across the three countries. Sembcorp said its planned combination of offshore wind generation in Vietnam, solar generation in Malaysia and Malaysian battery storage would supply up to 1.3 GW to Singapore. Under the company’s proposed arrangement, electricity from Vietnam would travel through Malaysia, with both Malaysia and Singapore receiving power.

Conditional approval is one stage in the electricity-import process described by EMA. In its general explanation published in 2023, the regulator said this stage follows an initial review of a proposal’s technical and commercial viability and helps a developer pursue additional permissions and licences.

That explanation sets out separate requirements for later stages. According to EMA, a participant must fulfil the conditions attached to its approval before the authority may grant a Conditional Licence. The regulator’s process also requires an Importer Licence before construction or commercial operations. These are general licensing requirements, rather than an account of the stages completed by this particular project.

For the Vietnam-Malaysia-Singapore initiative, EMA said Sembcorp Utilities is working towards starting imports by 2035. The consortium’s remaining development work includes obtaining approvals from the relevant jurisdictions, reaching power-purchase agreements with buyers and securing enough financing. The date is a development target, not a confirmed start of electricity deliveries.

The project’s development arrangements include a May 2025 Joint Development Agreement, according to EMA. Sembcorp Utilities signed it with MY Energy Consortium and PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation alongside the 46th ASEAN Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore’s wider electricity-import plans also extend to 2035. EMA said the country is seeking about 6 GW of low-carbon imports by that year, compared with the 4 GW envisaged in its original plan.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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