23/05/2023 (Singapore) - Meranti, fully owned by Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA), had chosen a group of firms to construct the Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), aiming for operational readiness by June 2025, as EMA announced on 19 May. These turbines were planned to primarily utilize natural gas, with diesel as a backup fuel option, and could handle up to 30% hydrogen, potentially up to 100% with enhancements.
Singapore had existing operational reserves in Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs), but these had technical limitations including a long start-up time and inflexibility to rapid demand changes. Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, highlighted this during the turbines' groundbreaking ceremony on 19 May. In contrast, OCGT units offered fast-start generation capacity, providing a rapid response to any capacity shortfall.
Peak demand could rise to 780MW during Singapore's hottest months, a 200MW increase from off-peak demand, according to Tan. The efficiency of starting OCGTs to handle these surges instead of initiating more CCGTs was stressed. Fast start generation capacity was increasingly important for maintaining a secure and reliable power system, as EMA stated. Existing OCGTs, over 30 years old, required replacement, and Meranti was commissioned to construct new ones, given the absence of commercial interest in building new OCGTs.
Around 95% of Singapore's electricity was derived from natural gas then, but the country aimed to import 30% of its electricity from low-carbon sources by 2035 for power sector decarbonization. Keppel Energy, a Singaporean company, received conditional approval from EMA in March to import 1GW of electricity from Cambodia, harnessing solar, hydro, and possibly wind power. These imports were projected to commence post-2030.