S'pore launches grant call to study carbon capture and storage methods

Singapore is taking steps to study how planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas power plants can be captured and locked away, as the Republic is likely to continue relying on fossil fuel over the next few decades.

- Cheryl Tan

Natural gas is expected to continue to power more than 50 per cent of Singapore's energy needs by 2035.

Currently, it represents more than 90 per cent of the electricity mix, with the energy sector accounting for around 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has issued a grant call to study two methods of deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies in the sector to remove carbon emissions and store them in deep underground structures, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong announced on Oct 21 at the Singapore International Energy Week.

The first method involves installing an on-site unit to capture CO2 from exhaust gas, after natural gas has been combusted.

The waste gas typically contains CO2, water vapour, nitrogen and oxygen.

The Straits Times previously reported that research is underway to determine the most cost-effective way of capturing CO2 from the natural gas plants, as its low concentration in exhaust gas makes it difficult to extract.

The other technique involves capturing the CO2 generated when hydrogen is produced from natural gas.

The hydrogen can be combusted to generate electricity and does not produce any CO2 when burned.