Who should pay for Singapore’s cross-border power links?
Public support should reflect measurable shared benefits without shifting controllable risks to consumers
WHO should pay for an electricity connection that serves commercial buyers and may also benefit the wider power system?
This question gained urgency at Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) in late October. At the SIEW Thinktank Roundtable, Jennifer Tay, a partner at consultancy Baringa, cautioned against expecting large electricity users alone to finance infrastructure delivering broader public benefits.
Preliminary findings from a Singapore-US feasibility study on regional energy connectivity presented on Oct 28 highlighted the need for new financial models – including shared ownership and guarantees – to make the massive investments viable.
