Singapore International Energy Week

2008: "Powering Cities of the Future"

The inaugural International Energy Week took place from 3–7 November 2008 at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore, and was attended by 2500 people.

Program topics featured a range of industry topics addressing energy investment, energy efficiency, traditional, renewable and alternative energies, climate change, and green architecture. Program highlights included the delivery of the inaugural Singapore Energy Lecture by Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore to an audience of 500 people, and presentations by industry leaders and multi-national energy companies.

During the event, the Government of Singapore announced the establishment of a 25 million Singapore dollars (16.8 million U.S. dollars) Energy Research and Development Fund to support the proliferation of new energy technologies in Singapore. Also during the event, Vestas Wind Systems, an official partner of Singapore International Energy in 2008, opened its largest research facility outside of its home country of Denmark.

2009: "Clean Energy: Sustainable Solutions for Urban Cities"

Singapore International Energy Week 2009 took place from 16–20 November at the Shangri-la Hotel in Singapore.

Over 1,800 companies and 5,000 participants registered for events during the week.

On the opening day, the second annual Singapore Energy Lecture was delivered by Daniel Yergin, the Chairman & co-founder of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. In his speech, Yergin discussed the development of unconventional shale gas, calling it "one of the most important innovations of this decade" - and that the use of natural gas is expected to grow substantially in Asia, especially in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) form. He also said that oil supply will be supplied by the use of technological innovations, as only about a fifth of the oil reserves that could be recovered had been extracted.

Also on the first day, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair shared his views about balancing climate change and global energy needs, in a video message shown on the first day.

The Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) - a trade fair and conference- took place during the event. The Expo featured five pavilions, showcasing clean energy solutions from Australia, Brazil, Europe, Japan and Singapore. The EMA's Deputy Chief Executive, David Tan, delivered an address at the Expo.

During the event, the EMA hosted the inaugural Singapore Electric Vehicle Roundtable where the "challenges and solutions in EV implementation" were discussed. The EMA also accounced a project to power Pulau Ubin (one of Singapore's islands) completely with renewable energy. At the time of the announcement, the island had no power grid. The EMA also announced a 'smart' electrical grid project to be implemented at the Nanyang Technological University and the Jalan Bahar Cleantech Park. This was announced at the opening address to the Smart Grids Conference by Lawrence Wong (Chief Executive of the EMA).

The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (headed by Joachim Luther) was officially opened, with the stated aim of "investing $130 million into the industry in the next five years."

Other events included the launch of World Energy Outlook 2009 by the International Energy Agency's Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka, the Singapore Electricity Roundtable and the Platts 4th Annual Top 250 Global Energy Companies Awards and Leadership Dinner (part of a three-year partnership between Platts and EMA).

A number of energy industry experts including Alan Bryden (Ingénieur Général of the High Council for Industry, Energy and Technologies, France), Nobuo Tanaka (Executive Director of the International Energy Agency), Bill Hogan (Research Director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group) and David Hone (Royal Dutch Shell's senior adviser on climate change) spoke during the week.

2010: "Fueling the Smart Energy Economy"

The third Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) took place from 27 October to 4 November 2010. For the first time, Panasonic acted as a main sponsor for the event.

Approximately 14,000 people were involved with the event, including government officials, business leaders, academics, investors, as well as representatives from energy-resource and environmental companies from 60 countries.

On 1 November, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered the Singapore Energy Lecture, where he discussed Singapore’s energy plans in an uncertain time with regard to future prices and climate change. He also discussed the possibility of a nuclear power plant on Singapore "possibly during my life time... we cannot afford to dismiss the option of nuclear power altogether".

The Lecture was followed by the inaugural Singapore Energy Summit, where efficient energy use, investment in technology, exploration of renewable and alternative energy sources and the smarter use of fossil fuels were discussed.

On 2 November, at the Power-GEN Asia Conference, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, S. Iswaran announced Singapore’s plans to build a third liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank.

Other events held during SIEW 2010 included Carbon Forum Asia, Clean Energy Expo Asia, IPEC (International Power and Energy Conference) 2010, Platts Top 250 Awards Dinner, Singapore Electricity Roundtable, Bloomberg New Energy Finance Dinner and Downstream Asia.

2011: "Securing our Energy Future"

The fourth Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) took place from 31 October to 4 November 2011.

20,000 people and 550 exhibitors participated in the event, including government officials, business leaders, academics, investors, as well as representatives from energy-resource and environmental companies from 60 countries.

On 31 October, former executive director of the International Energy Agency Nobuo Tanaka delivered the Singapore Energy Lecture, where he shared his "21st century energy security" vision and called for Asia's emerging economies to engage in more active collaborations for the future. He noted that one country cannot enhance its energy security by risking the energy security of others, and thus the need for a new framework on energy security.

The Lecture was followed by the Singapore Energy Summit, where global energy leaders took the stage to discuss pertinent energy issues. Sharing the stage for the first time were the CEOs of Royal Dutch Shell and Petrobras, Peter Voser and José Gabrielli respectively, as they discuss the future of the global energy industry. According to Peter Voser, Shell expects Asia to be a key growth region in the long term. However, energy leaders at the Singapore Energy Summit also stated that Asia faces a rocky road ahead in securing energy needs.

Giving their perspectives on energy security concerns and new trends in the power industry at the Singapore Energy Summit, Singapore's Second Minister S. Iswaran, Malaysia's Dato' Sri Idris Jala, and the Philippines' Secretary of Energy Jose Rene Almendras unanimously agreed that a connected Asean power grid was a crucial step for energy security in the region. Such a grid, to be done in phases, would integrate Asean’s energy markets, and would require investments into trans-Asean gas pipelines and expanding connections between member countries. Minister S. Iswaran also stated that such plans needed clear political direction at the regional and national levels, adding that an Asean energy grid would serve individual national interests as well as the region as a whole.

The annual energy gathering also hosted three new major events, PV Asia Pacific Expo, Asia Smart Grid and the EMART Asia, covering a range of issues including energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy trading. Returning to SIEW this year were Clean Energy Expo Asia, Carbon Forum Asia, Downstream Asia, Singapore Electricity Roundtable, and the Platts Top 250 Global Energy Companies Asia Awards Dinner.

2012: "Shaping a New Energy Landscape"

SIEW 2012 took place from 22 to 25 October at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore.

With the theme of "Shaping a New Energy Landscape", Singapore's Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran, made several announcements with regard to Singapore's energy security. This included the city-state's plans to build a fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank at the LNG terminal on Jurong Island, which would open up opportunities in global LNG markets.

The Opening Keynote Address was presented by International Energy Agency Director Maria van der Hoeven with the theme of "Asia and the Global Energy Economy". She shared that Singapore was well-placed to be an Asian gas hub "faster than anyone else in the region". Ms van der Hoeven also underscored that natural gas will be vital to powering Asia's massive electrification in the years ahead.

Other energy leaders spoke as well, including Malaysia's Minister of Energy Peter Chin Fah Kui, Lao's Minister of Energy and Mines Soulivong Daravong, the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency Dr Adnan Z Amin, and the President of Carbon War Room (an independent non-profit organization focused on the global transition to a low carbon economy) and former President of Costa Rica Jose Maria Figueres. They discussed topics ranging from options for a future energy mix to financing the energy needs of tomorrow, from climate change and connecting the dots for the energy-water-food nexus.

The event hosted two new events:

1. Gas Asia Summit (GAS), presenting the first dedicated Asian gas and LNG conference to respond to the region's natural gas and LNG demand and energy supply security.
2. Asia Future Energy Forum (AFEF):, the Asia debut of the World Future Energy Forum on leading-edge sustainable energy governance, business, investment, finance, and technology that enable smart delivery of clean energy solutions.

Also forming part of the event were Asia Smart Grid, Downstream Asia, EMART Asia, Singapore Electricity Roundtable, and the Platts Top 250 Global Energy Companies Asia Awards Dinner, as well as the inaugural In Dialogue with Youth, an outreach event to engage youths on energy issues.

2013: “New Horizons in Energy”

The sixth Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) was held from 28 October to 1 November 2013 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore, with the theme “New Horizons in Energy”.

S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, unveiled Singapore’s upcoming implementation of an electricity demand response programme in 2015, and an electricity futures market targeted to be launched in end-2014. He made the announcements at the Singapore Energy Summit (SES), a high-level dialogue session under SIEW.

The panel discussions under SES cover the prospective impact of gas and its potential to play a larger role in fuelling Asia, the energy map of the future, the resurgence in fossil fuels and necessary initiatives to adopt “green growth”. The energy leaders who took part in the panels include Hiroshi Ozaki, President of Osaka Gas; Meg Gentle, President of Cheniere Marketing; Amos Hochstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State; and Gal Luft, co- Director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security. The SIEW Opening Keynote Address was presented by Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, CEO of Qatargas, the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). He assessed the diverse challenges facing the global gas market – including the pricing, outlook and structural issues in North America, Europe and Asia.

Prominent global energy leaders who spoke at SIEW include Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, United Arab Emirates; Y.B. Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, Malaysian Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water; Mark McArdle, Queensland Government Minister for Energy and Water Supply; Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency (IEA) and Adnan Amin, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The roundtables at SIEW focused on niche topic areas within the energy space. One example is the opportunities and challenges for electro mobility in cities. The tables were organized by Energy Studies Institute of Singapore of the National University of Singapore; Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS); Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute (ERI@N); the International Energy Agency (IEA); the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ); and the National Energy Administration of China (NEA).

The sixth SIEW also launched the inaugural Singapore Energy Awards, which was presented by Singapore’s Iswaran. The Youth Energy Showcase was unveiled for the first time, featuring 10 creative projects from schools ranging from an eco-friendly advertisement board to a sustainable road barricade powered by wind energy. More than 250 students took part in the In Dialogue with Youth to engage

Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry S. Iswaran on energy issues confronting Singapore and the region.

The SIEW event also worked with the Financial Times to produce a special publication which captured the key takeaways from SIEW 2012.

2014: “Building Energy Connections”

The seventh Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) was held from 27-31 October 2014 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The theme for SIEW 2014 (“Building Energy Connections”) reflected the growing interdependence of energy markets.

The SIEW Opening Keynote Address was delivered by Dr. Leonhard Birnbaum, Member of the Board of Management – Markets, Services at E.ON who explained the need for countries to implement economically sensible energy policies to navigate the “global energy transitions”. He was followed by Masdar CEO Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, who spoke on the rising importance of renewable energy.

Mr. S Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry, also announced several major energy initiatives for Singapore. These included: · The formation of a S$25 million Energy Storage Programme by EMA to support the development and integration of large-scale, cost-effective systems for the Southeast Asian city-state’s power system · A S$20 million Energy Training Fund set up by EMA to support the training needs of Singaporean workers in the power sector · Various joint initiatives by EMA and Singapore Power to promote energy-efficiency and embark on a comprehensive rules review exercise to lower business costs.

The Singapore Energy Summit (SES), a high-level dialogue session under SIEW, featured five sessions with 25 high-level speakers addressing the world’s most pressing energy challenges, which include the growing importance of regional connectivity in tackling energy challenges, the strategic importance of the energy mix, the potential of renewables, and the enabling role of technologies.

Other events that occurred at SIEW 2014 include: · The ASEAN-IEA Gas Dialogue, with Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, discussing the IEA’s views on how the gas market in ASEAN would evolve · Partner events on key energy industry verticals like the Asian Energy Financial and Investment Conference, Downstream & Petrochemical Asia, the Gas Asia Summit, the Platts Top 250 Asia Awards Dinner, the European Union Business Avenues Clean Technologies Exhibition, the RE@SIEW Exhibition and the Asia Clean Energy Summit · Roundtables focusing on niche topic areas within the energy space organised by the Energy Studies Institute of Singapore of the National University of Singapore (ESI); Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute (ERI@N); the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ); the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS); and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) · The Youth at SIEW programme, where more than 250 students discussed Singapore’s energy future with Mr S Iswaran. The Minister also presented the inaugural Energy-Industry Scholarships to four students, before touring the Youth Energy Showcase of 18 sustainable energy projects

2015: “Global Energy Transitions”

The 8th Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) will bring together global energy leaders from government, industry, academia and international organisations in one location from 26 to 30 October 2015 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The theme of the event is “Global Energy Transitions”.

The theme reflects how recent volatility in oil prices, growing energy demand in Asia, and increasing market interconnectivity are greatly reshaping the global energy landscape. This has prompted re-assessment of long-term investments in both oil and gas, and alternative energy projects. Governments and industry need to consider how to leverage the opportunities and challenges that these developments present. Against this backdrop, SIEW 2015 will address how best to navigate the emerging energy transitions, and the impact these changes would have on the global energy system