THE Energy Market Authority (EMA) said that it is exploring the potential of harnessing geothermal energy in Singapore following new developments in technology.

The announcement made on Tuesday (Oct 26) is in line with the Singapore-International Renewable Energy Agency's high-level forum held on the same day, which is organised as part of Singapore International Energy Week.

EMA highlighted that Singapore is sited in a region with "quality" geothermal energy resources deep underground, and that its studies will focus on the geothermal resource potential in the northern and eastern regions of Singapore - which have been identified based on their higher surface temperatures.

"If found to be feasible, geothermal energy could serve as a new and additional source of indigenous clean energy, besides solar, for power generation in Singapore," EMA said.

With support from the National Research Foundation, EMA is working closely with Nanyang Technological University as well as various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the National Climate Change Secretariat, to carry out exploratory studies on Singapore's geothermal potential.

The exploratory studies aim to establish preliminary findings by end-2022. Depending on the results of these studies, EMA said it will explore undertaking further research to determine the viability and scalability of deploying geothermal systems in Singapore.

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EMA said: "Singapore could potentially see the adoption of geothermal energy for power generation in the future and be one of the first countries to deploy next-generation geothermal systems in a densely-populated city."

Geothermal energy would also support the nation's efforts to lower its power sector's carbon emissions, and help meet its climate change targets, pointed out EMA.

Singapore, as a small and resource-constrained country, currently has "limited" renewable energy options and "imports almost all" of its energy needs. Conventional hydrothermal systems "may not" be applicable to Singapore due to the lack of quality resources at shallower depths, EMA noted.

"As geothermal energy is an indigenous source of renewable energy, the adoption of geothermal energy can potentially help to diversify Singapore's energy sources and improve Singapore's energy resilience," added EMA.

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