PacificLight Power begins work on S’pore’s first gas power plant that comes with battery storage

SINGAPORE – Local electricity generator PacificLight Power on Sept 28 began constructing a new gas-fired power generation facility on Jurong Island, which it said will also be Singapore’s first such plant to be paired with a battery storage system.

Battery storage systems are usually paired with renewable energy systems, such as a solar plant. This is because renewable energy sources like solar and wind are intermittent, and batteries can help to store power when the output is high and release it back into the electricity grid when needed.

PacificLight Power said incorporating a battery storage system into its new plant will allow it to install a larger gas turbine without impacting grid stability. Such a storage system will also allow the plant to serve as a buffer as Singapore continues to increase solar deployment.

There are currently more than 20 gas-fired power plants generating electricity for Singapore.

When it begins operations in 2029, PacificLight’s plant will be the largest one fired by a single power generation unit. The 670MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) facility will generate enough electricity to power up to 1.2 million four-room flats for a year.

The power plant – which costs $1.2 billion – will be the largest single and most efficient CCGT facility in Singapore, said the company. It is being built by Mitsubishi Power and Jurong Engineering Limited.

The plant will also increase PacificLight Power’s total generation capacity by 70%, said Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng, who was the guest of honour at the ground-breaking event.

PacificLight Power currently generates close to 10% of Singapore’s annual electricity demand.

Singapore’s peak demand in 2025 was around 8 gigawatts (GW). Peak demand refers to the highest amount of electricity used in a specific period, much like the “rush hour” of power used.

The Republic’s existing power facilities can generate about 13GW of energy. But by 2031, the peak demand is projected to reach between 9.9GW and 13GW, according to the Energy Market Authority (EMA), Singapore’s energy regulator.

Tan said that Singapore’s peak electricity demand is projected to grow at a faster pace in the coming years, driven by advanced manufacturing, the digital economy, the rapid rise in artificial intelligence and transport electrification.

“This is not unique to Singapore. Around the world, countries are racing to secure the energy capacity needed to power this next wave of economic growth,” he said. “As energy increasingly shapes important investment decisions, it will be important to provide the power at the scale and the speed that are needed to meet our business needs.”

EMA forecasts that Singapore’s peak electricity demand is expected to grow by between 2.9% and 6.5% annually until 2034.

Tan also noted the need to strengthen the operational resilience of the power infrastructure here.

Pairing a battery storage system with the gas turbine strengthens the facility’s “ability to respond to contingencies and support system recovery when needed”, he added.

The 80MW battery storage system can store electricity during periods of low demand and release it whenever needed, allowing the facility to better match power demand and supply, and keep operations more stable.

PacificLight Power said the battery storage system will be capable of responding within two seconds.

Other than building new fossil fuel-powered generation facilities to meet rising electricity demand, Singapore is also looking to tap alternative sources of energy with a lower carbon footprint.

This includes tapping hydrogen, which is considered a clean fuel as it does not produce any planet-warming carbon dioxide when burned.

PacificLight said its upcoming plant will be hydrogen-compatible.

This means the facility can burn a mixed fuel composition comprising up to 30% hydrogen, with natural gas making up the rest, to generate electricity.

The company is working towards having the plant burn 100% hydrogen in the future as the power sector works towards net-zero carbon emissions. This sector currently generates 40% of Singapore’s total emissions.

In the future, the gas turbine can switch to 100% hydrogen combustion with minimal modifications, according to Mitsubishi Power’s website.

Hydrogen as a fuel can be generated by different means. The fuel is considered green only if renewable energy is used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.

PacificLight Power’s chief executive Yu Tat Ming said that the current costs of producing green hydrogen remain high, and the necessary infrastructure to support large-scale adoption still needs to be developed.

“As and when these commercial and logistical matters are resolved, we will be able to implement the transition to hydrogen or other alternative green fuels,” he said.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Tan also noted that the Ministry of Trade and Industry will become the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry on Oct 1.

The change was announced on July 22 by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who had said that energy is becoming increasingly central to Singapore’s economic competitiveness, industrial transformation and long-term resilience.

“This change reflects the greater focus we are placing on energy, given its vital role in our economic growth, climate goals and national resilience,” said Tan.