Energy and Utilities

The data provide information on the utility sector’s structure and performance, which are used for the compilation of national accounts, input-output tables and other related studies. The results are also used by policy makers, researchers, the business community and other interested users in their work.

For details on data coverage and compilation, please refer to the Technical Notes on Singapore Utilities Sector.

At the wholesale level, electricity is bought and sold through the National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS), which is managed by the Energy Market Company. In NEMS, power producers such as generation companies (gencos) and auto-producers bid to sell electricity on a half-hourly basis. Auto-producers are enterprises that produce electricity but for whom production is not their principal activity.

For electricity consumers, all households and businesses can purchase electricity from an electricity retailer of their choice under the Open Electricity Market, with a price plan that best meets their needs. Consumers can also choose to purchase electricity from SP Group at the regulated electricity tariff rate.

In Singapore, there are two distinct gas pipeline networks – one for town gas and another for natural gas. Town gas, produced by City Energy Pte Ltd, is mainly used by residential and commercial customers for cooking and heating purposes. Natural gas, on the other hand, is mainly used for power generation and industrial feedstock, imported through licensed gas importers.

Town gas is manufactured in Senoko Gasworks and delivered to approximately 900,000 customers in Singapore. The customers are made up of industrial, commercial, and residential town gas users. Residential customers consist mainly of town gas users in HDB flats, condominiums and landed premises. The town gas transmission network operates at 3 barg – or bar gauge, a unit of pressure used in the transmission of natural and town gas to indicate the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure – whereas the distribution network operates at pressure regimes ranging from 1 kPa to 50 kPa.

Natural gas is supplied to about 200 customers and is imported from four sources (two submarine pipelines from Indonesia, one submarine pipeline from Malaysia and internationally through the Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal). These natural gas customers are typically power stations, industrial and commercial gas users. The natural gas transmission network operates mainly at two pressure regimes, 28 barg
and 40 barg, and the distribution network operates at pressure regimes ranging from 3 barg to 6.2 barg.

PowerGas, as the licensed gas importer, owns the town and natural gas pipelines. It is responsible for transporting both types of gas to consumers who purchase them from gas shippers and retailers.

Singapore has a robust and diversified supply of water via its “Four National Taps”, namely, Water from Local Catchments, Imported Water, NEWater and Desalinated Water. Singapore’s drinking water quality is well within the requirements stipulated under the World Health Organisation’s Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality and Food Safety and Security (FSS) (Non-Packaged Drinking Water) Regulations.

Energy inputs and outputs, measured in kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe), for all electricity generators, including both main power producers and autoproducers.