MHA Deputy Secretary Puah Kok Keong to be new EMA chief executive
Puah will trade places with current EMA chief executive Ngiam Shih Chun
THE MINISTRY of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on Monday (May 27) that Puah Kok Keong will be the new chief executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA).
Puah, who has been Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since August 2016, will replace incumbent EMA chief executive Ngiam Shih Chun on Jul 8.
Ngiam, who has been EMA’s chief executive since February 2018, will in turn take up the position of Deputy Secretary (Policy) at MHA.
Dr Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary for Development, MTI, said: “Shih Chun has provided strong and steady leadership and made invaluable contributions to Singapore’s energy sector over the years. I would also like to welcome Kok Keong to the MTI family, and am confident that he will build on the excellent work of his predecessors and further propel EMA forward.”
At MHA, Puah oversaw policy, planning, international cooperation, research and statistics, legal, and psychological services. He also supervised policy and legislative reviews in the areas of crime, drugs, rehabilitation, civil defence, immigration and registration, and racial and religious harmony.
He was responsible for leading the review of gambling regulations in Singapore, which resulted in different gambling legislations being consolidated under the Gambling Control Act, as well as the restructuring of the Casino Regulatory Authority into the Gambling Regulatory Authority.
He was also in MTI’s energy division from 2006 to 2008.
At EMA, Ngiam helmed the transition of Singapore’s power sector towards incorporating solar, regional power grids, low-carbon alternatives and natural gas, and also led launch of the National Hydrogen Strategy.
During the global energy crisis in 2021 and 2022, he led measures to improve Singapore’s energy security and stabilise its electricity market, including a standby liquified natural gas facility and the establishing of EMA’s subsidiary, Meranti Power.
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