Media Release

SP Group to Green Electricity Substations for a More Sustainable Future

  • Rooftop solar panels to be installed at 37 substations by 2025, generating enough electricity to power 4,500 four-room Housing Development Board flats for a year
  • This is the latest in a series of green initiatives to maximise substation infrastructure for sustainable outcomes

Singapore, 8 November 2022 – SP Group (SP) announced that it will be installing rooftop solar panels at 37 electricity substations by 2025, with a total installed capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp). This is the latest green initiative by SP to optimise substations with low-carbon capabilities and achieve our national sustainability targets.

When completed, the combined solar power capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp) will deliver up to 21,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity into Singapore’s electricity network annually – enough to power more than 4,500 four-room Housing Development Board (HDB) flats for a year. The substations were selected for their suitability to install solar panels and generate solar energy.

The rooftop solar installation will be done across three phases. The first phase of six substations with a combined solar power capacity of 7.1 MWp will be completed by end2023 – with the very first substation at West Jurong Island to have its rooftop solar system operational by July 2023. This will be followed by the second batch of 12 substations with a combined capacity of 6 MWp by mid-2024 and the final batch of 19 substations with a combined capacity of 2.6 MWp to be completed by end-2025. Each substation will have an installed capacity not exceeding 1 MWac (Megawatt of AC Power).

The initiative is part of the Singapore’s plans to incorporate more renewable energy in its energy mix and will contribute towards EMA’s target of installing at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar deployment by 2030 1 . It will also support Singapore’s long-term ambitions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Ngiam Shih Chun, Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), said, “Solar is Singapore’s most viable renewable energy source. As part of our efforts to tackle climate change and decarbonise the power sector, we will need to maximise solar deployment on all available land and space in Singapore. With SP Group’s deployment of solar panels on its network of power substations, this brings about an intuitive use of the limited space available in addition to other innovative deployments such as on temporary vacant land and water bodies.”

Mr Stanley Huang, Group CEO, SP Group, said, “In supporting the energy transition, we are keen to leverage our electricity substations and roof spaces to contribute clean energy for Singapore. We will continue to work closely with EMA to optimise our existing electricity infrastructure and assets to provide reliable and efficient electricity supply, and to support developments to meet Singapore’s sustainability targets.”

SP has been working on various green initiatives to leverage electricity substations for sustainable outcomes. In August this year, EMA and SP jointly announced a pilot to test the viability of installing a thermal energy storage system at the George Street substation. The pilot also includes the installation of additional chillers to support future expansion of the Marina Bay district cooling network, bringing sustainable cooling to more buildings. This is a first move to locate an ice thermal storage facility outside a district cooling plant.

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1The Future of Singapore’s Energy Story – EMA

About SP Group

SP Group is a leading utilities group in the Asia Pacific, empowering the future of energy with low-carbon, smart energy solutions for its customers. It owns and operates electricity and gas transmission and distribution businesses in Singapore and Australia, and sustainable energy solutions in Singapore, China, Vietnam and Thailand.

As Singapore’s national grid operator, about 1.6 million industrial, commercial and residential customers benefit from its world-class transmission, distribution and market support services. These networks are amongst the most reliable and cost-effective world-wide.

Beyond traditional utilities services, SP Group provides a suite of sustainable and renewable energy solutions such as microgrids, cooling and heating systems for business districts and residential townships, solar energy solutions, electric vehicle fast charging and digital energy solutions for customers in Singapore and the region.

For more information, please visit spgroup.com.sg or for follow us on Facebook at fb.com/SPGroupSG and LinkedIn at spgrp.sg/linkedin.