Biofuels are considered carbon neutral as they are derived from organic material (or biomass) and absorbs roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide during growth, as when burnt.
Singapore has a competitive advantage in the use of biofuels as a renewable source of energy mainly due to:
- its strong foundation in the oil industry, which provides the infrastructure and synergies with downstream petrochemical projects as well as requisite infrastructure for biofuels' trading activities;
- its geographical location that allows companies to easily source their raw materials from neighbouring countries;
- its ready accessibility to markets with well-connected seaports and free trade agreements with several key trading partners; and
- a strong scientific R&D culture that allows companies to undertake R&D and integrate research with manufacturing to hasten the development of next-generation biofuels and higher value renewable products.
Over the past few years, the focus in Singapore has been to kick-start biodiesel production. By producing export-oriented output volumes, Singapore can play a catalytic role in the global trade of biofuels.
Looking ahead to next-generation biofuels
Moving forward, Singapore looks to harness biofuel technology that is more advanced than the first generation (e.g. biodiesel derived from food crops such as corn, sugar cane and palm oil, which drives up the price of food products). The country aims to produce higher quality biofuels and use alternative non-food feedstock that is environment-friendly and sustainable such as jatropha oil. For example, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) has conducted research on Jatropha and spun off JOil (S) Pte. Ltd. together with some commercial partners to develop elite jatropha hybrids for commercial jatropha plantations.
Singapore is attracting new players from the US, Europe and Japan to conduct R&D on biofuels and set up biofuel pilot plants. We are also advancing our own know-how and technologies through various research organizations such as TLL, the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and the Institute of Environmental Science & Engineering (IESE).
Considering the growing importance of biofuels and bioenergy in the evolving energy landscape, EMA is in the midst of carrying out a comprehensive study on the implementation of biofuels and bioenergy in Singapore. The study aims to fully understand the policy enablers required to promote the adoption of bioenergy, as well as the associated costs and benefits, risks and opportunities as consequence of any future biofuels/bioenergy policy.
