Singapore¡¯s desire to shift to renewable sources of energy is running up against its geographic limitations. It hasn¡¯t got enough space for large solar installations, there are no major rivers for hydropower and what little breeze the tropical city-state gets isn¡¯t sufficient to push a wind turbine.
That¡¯s forced the Southeast Asian financial and transport hub to rely on imports in its plans to transition away from fossil fuels. It¡¯s a common strategy for small places ¡ª Hong Kong, Monaco and Bahrain are in a similar position ¡ª but it¡¯s dependent on nearby countries being willing to export carbon-free power.
For Singapore, its plan to bring in enough clean energy from overseas to meet 30% of its needs by 2035 has already hit a snag. Neighboring Malaysia banned renewable electricity sales late last year to prioritize its own efforts to decarbonize, underscoring the risks ahead for import-reliant nations.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.