Prysmian will complete the study in 2026 on Sarawak-Singapore Power Export Project

A company official stated that the cable supplier Prysmian is expecting to finish next year the first-end engineering study for a hydropower project from Sarawak, Malaysia, to Singapore.

Prysmian, a subsidiary company of Sembcorp Industries and Sarawak Energy Services, selected Prysmian as the preferred supplier in March for the project which will export approximately 1 gigawatts of renewable energy from Sarawak to city state by the year 2020.

Detlev WAIMAN, CCO and SVP for Prysmian Transmission Unit, said that the Sarawak-Singapore Project will include two 750-kilometre (466 mile) power transmission cables, at a maximum depth of 100 meters.

Waimann, who spoke at the Singapore International Energy Week earlier this week, said that the submarine power interconnector will be the longest in the Asian region.

He added that the company would survey soil conditions in order to find cost-effective materials and explore ways to bury cables underground. He refused to give an estimate of the cost of the project.

Waimann added that the company would also examine the creation of a local supply network, which could lead to Prysmian manufacturing its first submarine cable in the area.

Grid interconnection or the ASEAN Power Grid is seen by many as an important tool for reducing the region's increasing reliance on fossil-fuels to generate electricity.

Singapore aims to import 6 GW (gigawatts) of low-carbon power by 2035. This will account for about a third its electricity. Malaysia currently provides about 1% (of the country's low-carbon electricity) of Singapore's power.

Waimann stated that in order for these projects to progress and to ensure regional targets regarding energy transitions are met, regulatory frameworks of different countries must be aligned. Reporting by Florence Tan. Mark Potter (Editing)

(source: Reuters)