Energy in Singapore describes energy related issues in Singapore. Energy import is about three times the primary energy. Oil import in relation to population is high.
Contents
The world's largest palm oil company, Wilmar International, is based in Singapore. Finland has the world's biggest palm oil based diesel plant in Singapore with 800,000 tonnes produced annually since the end of 2010.
Overview
According to IEA Singapore had no energy production in 2008. Energy import increased 18.6% in 2008 compared to 2004. The primary energy declined about one third 2007-8 but the same years the energy import increased. Energy import was about three times the total primary energy supply in 2008. Per person the electricity use was 135% and carbon dioxide emissions 110% compared to the UK in 2008 (UK: 61.35 m people 372.19 TWh electricity, 510.63Mt CO2 emissions).
The use of energy (primary energy) in Singapore is only 1/3 of the imported energy.
Oil
Singapore was the top 10th country in oil imports in 2008: 50 megatonnes. For comparison, oil imports in Spain were 77 megatonnes (the top 8th country, with a population of 45.59 million) and in Italy they were 73 megatonnes (the top 9th country, with 59.89 million persons).
Palm oil
The biggest palm oil based diesel plant in the world, 800,000 t/a production, started in Singapore in the end of 2010 by Neste Oil from Finland. The plant needs annually almost a million tonnes of raw material from the oil palm Elaeis guineensis, equivalent to 2,600–3,400 km2 oil palm plantation.
Greenpeace demonstrated in November 2010 in Espoo Finland by hanging an orangutan puppet in front of Neste Oil since they accused that Neste Oil endangers rainforest ecosystem. According to UNEP majority of new palm oil plantases take place in the rainforest.
According to European Union studies the increased demand of palm oil inevitably direct to new plantases in the forests and peat land areas. Land use changes have large green house gas emissions making palm oil diesel much more harmful than petroleum in respect to global warming. According to Greenpeace Neste Oil plant in Singapore brought Finnish Neste Oil among leading palm oil consumers and in the forward troops of rain forest destruction.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) would be a way to mitigate climate change. According to UNEP the international REDD mechanism will be a key element of the post-2012 international climate change regime.
Solar power
Jurong Port is building a 10MW solar installation on the roofs of its warehouses. The system is expected online by the end of 2015.
Wilmar International
Wilmar International is listed in Singapore. Kuok Khoon Hong was the third richest in Singapore in 2009 net worth $3.5 billion. He heads the world's largest palm oil firm, Wilmar International. According to FinnWatch] Kuak family owned in 2007 by Malaysian companies a biofuel plant in Indonesia (225 000 t/a). The Wilmar director Martua Sitorus ($3 billion net worth in 2009 2nd in Indonesia) lived in Indonesia in 2009.
In July 2007 Friends of the Earth Netherlands and two Indonesian NGOs accused Wilmar of illegal forest clearances in West Kalimantan, inadequate Environmental Impact Assessments and clearing land outside its concessions. Wilmar denies the allegation. The report calls on Unilever, a major purchaser from Wilmar, to review its purchasing relationship with the company.
Global warming
Singapore was the 58th top carbon dioxide emitter per capita in the world.