Keppel breaks ground for Singapore's first hydrogen ready cogeneration plant

The construction of the plant with a consortium comprising Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific and Jurong Engineering began on July 19.

Keppel Corporation, together with Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific and Jurong Engineering consortium, broke ground for the Keppel Sakra Cogen Plant (KSC Plant), Singapore’s first hydrogen ready cogeneration plant on July 19.

First announced in August last year, the KSC Plant will be a 600MW state-of-the-art, advanced combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant, which comes on the back of Singapore identifying hydrogen as a major decarbonisation pathway to support its international climate commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Located in the Sakra sector of Jurong Island, the KSC Plant is designed to be able co-fire with 30% hydrogen content and has the capability of shifting to run entirely on hydrogen in line with the decarbonisation of Singapore’s power sector.  In addition, as a CCGT power plant, it will also be able to produce steam for use in industrial processes for energy and chemicals customers on Jurong Island.

Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel’s Infrastructure Division, says: “As Singapore’s first hydrogen ready power plant, the KSC Plant represents a decisive step by Keppel to invest in best-in-class power generation technology and to pivot to low-carbon solutions for power generation in good time.”

“To this end, Keppel is also working with international partners on low-carbon hydrogen, and hydrogen-derived fuels such as green ammonia, to support the decarbonisation of the energy and chemical industries as well as the maritime and aviation sectors,” she adds.

Expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, the KSC Plant is said to be the most energy efficient among the operating fleet in Singapore, featuring superior performance, such as lower emission intensity and higher operation flexibility.

Operating initially on natural gas as a primary fuel, the KSC Plant is envisaged to be able to save up to 220,000 tons per year of CO2 as compared to Singapore’s average operating efficiency for equivalent power generated. Such savings in CO2 equivalent translates to taking about 47,000 cars off the road per year.

According to chief executive of the Energy Market Authority Ngiam Shih Chun, as electricity demand continues to increase, Singapore will need more generation capacity while ensuring that the power sector transitions to a net-zero future. “The hydrogen-ready KSC Plant is a good example of the infrastructure we need, and we encourage other generation companies to make similar investments,” he says.

Meanwhile, Takashi Tozawa, head of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' CCGT business division, says that the company is honoured to play a key role in Singapore’s decarbonisation efforts, supplying the KSC Plant with cutting-edge JAC gas turbines specifically designed for seamless integration with hydrogen fuel. “We anticipate continued collaboration with Keppel to help make long term net zero goals a reality in Singapore and the region.”

Koichi Watanabe, Jurong Engineering Limited chief executive, adds: “Fueled by our passion for powering a more sustainable future and strong technical expertise, we are confident in our ability to provide innovative solutions aligned with the operating philosophy. Most importantly, we are positive the synergistic partnership will bring forth a project with exceptional quality and safe delivery.”

Since 2007, Keppel has been operating a 1,300 megawatts (MW) combined cycle gas turbine generation facility on Jurong Island, with a good track record of efficiency and reliability. The plant started with a generation capacity of 500MW and expanded an additional 800MW in 2013.

Shares in Keppel Corp closed 1 cent or 0.15% up at $6.86 on July 19.

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