EMA strikes energy solutions partnerships worth S$12m with PSA and Shell

SINGAPORE'S Energy Market Authority (EMA) on Tuesday said it is partnering PSA Singapore and Shell in partnerships amounting to S$12 million to develop local energy solutions and nurture local energy startups.

EMA and PSA Singapore's partnership will include a joint research and development (R&D) grant call for innovative solutions in smart grid technologies and energy management for container ports at Pasir Panjang Terminal.

The aim is to reduce the ports' overall energy use and carbon emissions by integrating renewable energy sources like solar with smart control networks and energy storage solutions.

The grant call will allow industry partners and the research community to co-develop and test-bed energy solutions with PSA Singapore, along with leveraging on its global networks for international market access.

PSA International regional CEO for South-east Asia Ong Kim Pong said that as PSA continues to expand with more automated electric cranes and equipment, power demand forecasts and energy monitoring will become increasingly important. Thus, PSA is pleased to partner EMA to encourage the co-development of energy solutions to "reshape the entire port energy chain for the better."

Meanwhile, EMA and Shell will jointly set up an enterprise development programme to incubate promising local startups and help translate their solutions to the market and help develop and testbed these solutions.

The partnership will also provide capability building and funding for solutions in emerging areas like renewable energy, distributed power generation, energy storage systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Application details for the programme will be released at a later date, EMA said.

The partnership builds on an existing Shell initiative called IdeaRefinery started two years ago to support energy startups in Singapore.

Aw Kah Peng, chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore, added that the company is "delighted that EMA is joining in this endeavour, to further strengthen the Singapore energy ecosystem".

EMA chief executive Mr Ngiam Shih Chun added: "Energy storage solutions are critical to support our clean energy ambitions by allowing us to better integrate solar energy. Digitalisation efforts will also play an important role in making our power systems smarter, more efficient and resilient."