Building on the positive momentum of Singapore and the United States’ bilateral energy cooperation, the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) plan to conduct the Feasibility Study on Regional Energy Connectivity as part of the Net Zero World Initiative (NZW).

This collaboration follows a meeting between Singapore Second Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Tan See Leng and United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in Singapore on the sidelines of the U.S.-Southeast Asia Clean Energy Roundtable on July 14, 2022. During the meeting, both ministers issued the first Joint Statement on Energy Cooperation and expressed interest in cooperating on regional energy interconnectivity to enhance energy security and strengthen grid resilience.

Through the Net Zero World Initiative, the United States plans to work hand-in-hand with Singapore and our Southeast Asian partners to co-create and implement highly tailored, actionable technical and investment plans to achieve net-zero emissions. The initiative also provides implementation support and actions to spur equitable and inclusive economic growth by scaling up private sector investment, boosting deployment, expanding clean energy jobs, and promoting peer-to-peer learning.

Under the Feasibility Study on Regional Energy Connectivity, Singapore and the United States plan to assess the benefits, technical feasibility, and economic viability of developing a regional power grid network comprising both land-based interconnections and subsea cables in Southeast Asia. The study may also propose possible forms of such a regional network, taking into consideration implemented and planned connections, as well as other possible connections involving regional countries.

The study is planned to be conducted through the Net Zero World Action Center, which is a consortium of 10 of the Department’s national laboratories. Singapore and the United States are also in discussions with Southeast Asian countries to contribute to the study as part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). We look forward to the Net Zero World partnership supporting energy decarbonization in the region.