Bio-LNG could ensure Singapore’s energy resilience amid global disruptions: Tan See Leng
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Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said Singapore will need to develop and scale new energy solutions.
PHOTO: THE BUSINESS TIMES
Shikhar Gupta
- Bio-LNG can help Singapore keep a “diverse and resilient” energy supply as it pushes towards net-zero by 2050, said Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry Tan See Leng.
- Shell and SLNG said Singapore received its first bio-LNG shipment at Jurong Island terminal, which is among South-east Asia’s first to get EU sustainability certification for bio-LNG handling.
- SLNG has started building a third jetty to support about two million tonnes a year of LNG bunker reload demand by 2028, while Shell launched LiveWire Singapore to back local scale-ups.
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SINGAPORE – Bio-liquefied natural gas (bio-LNG) could help Singapore maintain a “diverse and resilient” energy supply amid disruptions in the Middle East and Europe, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said on Oct 9.
“As we work towards net-zero emissions by 2050, we will need to develop (and) scale new energy solutions, while ensuring that our energy supply remains secure, reliable and affordable throughout the transition,” he said at the Shell Powering Progress Together forum at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Shell and state-owned gas terminal operator Singapore LNG Corporation (SLNG) also said on Oct 9 that they recently delivered and unloaded a shipment of bio-LNG, which met strict European Union sustainability standards, for the first time at SLNG’s Jurong Island terminal. The terminal is being expanded with a third jetty.
On Oct 9, the energy major also launched the LiveWire Singapore programme in partnership with Action Community for Entrepreneurship, Singapore’s national trade association for start-ups.
Participants will receive tailored business advice and industry mentorship, while connecting with potential customers and commercial partners.
It will support “promising” Singapore scale-ups in areas such as artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure and energy systems, and low-carbon business models, by helping them move from early commercial traction towards sustained growth and expansion, said Tan.
“Singapore will need to strengthen our energy resilience while making progress on decarbonisation,” he said.
“We will need to develop new technologies and capabilities in our companies and people,” he added. “And we will need partners that are prepared to invest, innovate and build with us.”
The SLNG terminal’s third jetty, whose construction began on Oct 9, will support about two million tonnes per annum of LNG bunker reload demand when completed in the second half of 2028, while also accommodating break-bulk and other small-scale LNG operations.
“Jetty 3 will strengthen Singapore’s ability to support the next phase of growth and reinforce its position as a leading global bunkering and LNG trading hub,” said SLNG chief executive Leong Wei Hung.
“Together with Jetty 3’s bio-LNG handling capability, SLNG will be able to help facilitate not only the maritime industry’s transition towards lower-carbon fuels, but also the energy sector’s.”
The terminal is among the first in South-east Asia to achieve certification under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification EU scheme for the handling of bio-LNG.
Bio-LNG is produced by capturing gases from decomposing organic waste such as agricultural residue, animal manure or food waste. It functions like normal LNG, but must have at least 65% lower emissions compared with regular fossil fuels, according to EU regulations.
Development of the biofuel will be one of many different paths towards maintaining Singapore’s energy resilience, said Tan.
“Different sectors will require different technologies and fuels, many of which are still at different stages of technological and commercial maturity,” he noted. “We, therefore, need to keep our options open.” THE BUSINESS TIMES