Work begins on hydrogen-ready power plant in net-zero push

Work has officially begun on an $800 million power plant that has the capability to use hydrogen to generate electricity, as part of a push to utilise the fuel to reach Singapore's net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

- Lee Li Ying

Located at Pulau Seraya Power Station on Jurong Island, the hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine being built by YTL PowerSeraya will have a 600MW capacity and can power about 864,000 four-room flats for a year.

The power plant is slated for completion by Dec 31, 2027. It will initially have the capacity to use up to 50 per cent hydrogen and 50 per cent natural gas for electricity generation. It can be retrofitted to be fully powered by hydrogen in the future.

Singapore currently relies on natural gas to generate most of its electricity but needs to transition to greener sources to meet its goals. Hydrogen is considered to be a greener fuel than natural gas as it does not produce any planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held at YTL PowerSeraya's Pulau Seraya Power Station site on Oct 23, in conjunction with the week-long Singapore International Energy Week.