The National University of Singapore (NUS) has set up the Center for Hydrogen Innovations, a research institute aimed at making hydrogen a commercially viable clean fuel to meet Singapore’s energy needs, as reported by Strait Times on July 4. The center has received a total investment of USD25m, of which USD15m was donated by Singapore state investor Temasek [TMSK:SP]. The center will start with research related to hydrogen carriers for storage and transport as well as the global supply chain for hydrogen, as Singapore bets on importing hydrogen to decarbonize its energy sector. The center also plans to produce hydrogen locally to safeguard Singapore’s energy security in case of supply chain disruptions.

The new center, as well as NUS’s Green Energy Program which focuses on carbon capture and utilization technologies, are both parts of the university’s strategy of devising innovative ways to abate Singapore’s reliance on fossil fuels. Currently, about 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated using natural gas, a form of fossil fuel. Meanwhile, the power sector accounts for 40% of the nation’s carbon emissions. In March, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) recommended strategies to reduce the power sector’s emissions for reaching net zero by 2050, such as boosting clean energy imports with regional power grids, developing infrastructure that uses hydrogen as a fuel, and maximizing solar panel deployments. According to the EMA, these strategies will neither compromise Singapore’s energy security nor energy affordability. 

Sources:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/new-25-million-research-institute-to-bring-green-hydrogen-from-lab-to-society

https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/shipping/032222-singapores-net-zero-by-2050-target-realistic-and-technically-viable-government-report

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/importing-more-clean-energy-among-ways-to-help-singapores-power-sector-reach-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-report