ASEAN pressed to ensure region’s energy security [News]

By Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia, 7 Nov 2011.

SINGAPORE: Greater collaboration within ASEAN will be needed to ensure the region’s future energy security.

So say policy makers, who have expressed an urgency in the matter, with energy consumption expected to double by 2030.

They added that this is a pressing issue, with most ASEAN countries dependent on energy imports.

With ASEAN countries among the fastest growing economies in the world, new and more diverse sources of energy are needed to keep pace with demand.

Already, many countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are turning to liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fire their power stations, as an alternative to coal.

The development of the LNG market is likely to create opportunities for greater regional cooperation. Read more

EMA: Competition in power sector is working so far [News]

By Ronnie Lim, The Business Times, 12 Oct 2011.

Competition in the power market – especially after the government’s divestment of the three biggest generating companies to new, foreign owners – is working so far, says the Energy Market Authority.

But it also stresses that ‘electricity supply is too critical to Singapore’s economy to be left entirely to market forces’. Government intervention, in the form of a ‘visible hand’ to complement the market economy is still needed, it said.

Calling it Singapore’s ‘energy trilemma’, EMA said that the key national energy challenges comprise: how to have energy that is competitive, secure and sustainable at the same time.

‘We have made good progress in these areas since the EMA’s formation in 2001,’ says chairman Chan Lai Fung in EMA’s 10th anniversary book, Brighter Electricity in Singapore: From Beginning to Beyond, launched yesterday. Read more

Does Singapore need a Ministry of Energy?

The New Paper ponders on whether Singapore needs a new Ministry of Energy to tackle energy issues more holistically and ensure our future energy security. The article says that “energy security lies in a muddy middle zone” and “there’s no one body fully in charge”. It also suggests some ideas on what a Ministry of Energy can do, such as:

• Buy our own oil field
• Buy overseas farms to grow food
• A law to set a minimum temperature in Singapore offices
• Forge closer relations with oil-producing countries

The government’s energy policies on energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy market regulation and energy industry are pursued by the different relevant ministries and agencies. This is understandable as energy issues are often complex and cut across different sectors and industries. Read more