Singapore

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GH2 Country Portal – Singapore

Green Hydrogen Vision

Singapore’s green hydrogen vision reflects its commitment to becoming a low-carbon economy while addressing the constraints of limited land and renewable energy resources. As part of its plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Singapore sees hydrogen as a versatile solution to decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify, like shipping, aviation, and heavy industry. The country is exploring partnerships with hydrogen-exporting countries, such as Australia and the Middle East, to secure a stable supply of green hydrogen produced from renewable sources. Singapore is also investing in the necessary infrastructure, including advanced storage and transportation solutions, to facilitate hydrogen imports and local distribution. Through pilot projects and research initiatives, Singapore aims to advance hydrogen technology while ensuring it can be safely and affordably integrated into its energy system. By pursuing green hydrogen, Singapore seeks to reduce its carbon footprint, enhance energy security, and position itself as a regional hub for hydrogen innovation and trade. 

National Strategy

Singapore formally launched its national hydrogen strategy on 25th October 2022 and described Hydrogen as the low-carbon fuel that could meet 50% of Singapore’s power needs by 2050. Singapore has outlined essential initiatives to execute its national hydrogen strategy. While these initiatives may seem modest, they extend beyond addressing common concerns regarding gas safety and energy efficiency. 

  1. Firstly, Singapore intends to trial advanced hydrogen technologies that are nearing commercial readiness. The Energy Market Authority of Singapore (EMA) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) have issued an expression of interest (EOI) to develop, own, and operate low or zero-carbon power generation and bunkering solutions at Jurong Island. This EOI seeks to investigate the potential of using hydrogen and ammonia for power generation and other low-carbon options like electricity imports and domestic renewable resources. Such a project will enable Singapore to evaluate the feasibility of ammonia as both a hydrogen carrier and a direct fuel while also creating an appropriate regulatory framework and ecosystem for its implementation. 
  2. Secondly, Singapore will engage in research and development to progress these hydrogen technologies, making hydrogen a central focus in Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Energy Research (LCER) Programme. 
  3. Thirdly, the Singapore government will collaborate closely with industry and global partners to facilitate establishing and expanding supply chains for low-carbon hydrogen. This will include creating Guarantee of Origin certification methodologies to quantify and represent key characteristics of hydrogen production, such as its carbon intensity, ensuring these methodologies are compatible across different jurisdictions, and developing a trading and financing ecosystem to support global low-carbon hydrogen trade. 
  4. Fourthly, new infrastructure will be constructed to import, store, and convert hydrogen into energy. This will likely necessitate revisions to land use laws and planning policies overseen by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). 
  5. Lastly, Singapore aims to capitalize on opportunities throughout the hydrogen supply chain—covering financing, trading, certification, transportation, storage, and deployment—and will also prioritize workforce training to achieve these goals. 

Capacity and Capacity targets

Short-term (by 2030): Develop hydrogen-compatible infrastructure, including Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) that can operate on a blend of hydrogen and natural gas. 

Medium-term (by 2050): Hydrogen could supply up to 50% of Singapore’s electricity demand, complementing solar energy and electricity imports. 

Impact Targets

The Singapore government has confirmed that hydrogen can be embraced as a low-carbon fuel or feedstock across several sectors: 

  • Maritime Sector – The maritime industry requires low- or zero-emission alternative fuels to achieve the goals established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Hydrogen and its carriers, like ammonia, present a viable solution for decarbonizing shipping. 
  • Power Sector – Hydrogen plays a significant role in the deep decarbonization of the power sector when paired with CCUS, solar energy, and imports of green electricity. It can be mixed with natural gas to power the Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) that are currently used to generate electricity. 
  • Industry Sector – Low-carbon or green hydrogen can serve as a crucial substitute for brown hydrogen in industrial processes, such as refining. It can also replace natural gas in generating embedded heat and electricity. 
  • Aviation Sector – Immediate actions for decarbonisation include using hydrogen to create sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for aircraft. In the long run, the aviation industry aims to shift towards hydrogen propulsion for future aircraft. 
  • Mobility Sector – Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are still expected to be the more cost-effective and cleaner energy vehicle technology than Hydrogen Fuel Cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). However, FCEVs may prove to be more economically viable than BEVs in the heavy vehicle segment by 2050. 

Policy Spotlight

  1. In response to Singapore’s increasing electricity demand, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) has plans to boost its generation capacity over the next five years by investing in greener, more energy-efficient power plants. This initiative was revealed during the ground-breaking ceremony for Keppel’s new hydrogen-ready power plant on Jurong Island. The facility will feature a reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional power plants and is designed to operate on fuels containing up to 30 per cent hydrogen. Expected to be finished by the first quarter of 2026, the 600MW Keppel Sakra Cogen Plant will be capable of supplying power to approximately 864,000 four-room Housing Board flats annually. 
  2. Singapore is set to enhance the decarbonisation of its power supply by integrating energy sources like green ammonia and hydrogen. Starting in 2026, the town gas supplied through residential and commercial pipelines—currently composed of hydrogen and methane—may incorporate a portion of green hydrogen. Additionally, the shipping industry and other heavy sectors can utilise green ammonia as fuel to help achieve the International Maritime Organization’s decarbonisation targets for 2030. This supply of green gases, which do not emit carbon dioxide during use, will be sourced from a collaboration among Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, Petronas’ renewable energy subsidiary Gentari, and AM Green, known for producing green ammonia and green hydrogen. 

Financing

The first phase of the programme awarded S$55 million to projects aiming to improve the technoeconomic viability of low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen.  

An additional S$129 million has been set aside as research funding under LCER to support the development of low-carbon technologies, including hydrogen.  

Government green hydrogen lead 

Ministry of Trade and Industry 

Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) 

Energy Market Authority of Singapore (EMA) 

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)