Singapore could tap underground geothermal energy to power the country for 60 years, says Tan See Leng
SINGAPORE: Amid all the recent talk about Singapore seriously exploring nuclear power, another type of energy was much in the news this week, with the city-state’s increased geothermal energy potential having been recently revealed.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) said earlier this week that Singapore has high-temperature geothermal resources several kilometres underground that may be suitable for electricity generation, and further studies will be conducted in order to determine how this can be tapped and utilised.
Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said that if Singapore is able to do so, geothermal energy could power Singapore for the next 60 years or so.
At the Singapore International Energy Week 2026, he called the initial findings “a very good start” that caused him to be “very pleasantly surprised.”
Dr Tan, however, warned that it is likely to take many years before Singapore arrives at a decision to deploy geothermal power. As with all things, safety remains the most important consideration, and the dense urban environment will also affect how geothermal energy can be deployed in the city-state.
He added, "But nevertheless, as I've said many times before, no option is off the table for us here in Singapore. We will therefore explore this option seriously.”
The EMA’s immediate next step has been to appoint a consortium formed by Surbana Jurong and GLJ Ltd that will conduct a feasibility study on the potential deployment of next-generation geothermal plants in Singapore. Covering safety considerations, technical viability, and the cost of geothermal energy production, it will begin by the end of the year and is estimated to take around 15 months to complete.
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“Geothermal energy is an indigenous source of clean energy that can provide constant power and can potentially play an important role in our energy mix. If proven to be viable for electricity generation, Singapore’s geothermal energy resources will strengthen our energy resilience and support the decarbonisation of the power sector,” said Puah Kok Keong, Chief Executive of EMA. /TISG