From August 2025 through July 2026, Singapore’s electricity consumption remained overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels. Fossil sources supplied about 96% of electricity, with gas alone accounting for roughly 94%. Low-carbon electricity supplied just under 4%, entirely from solar in the supplied figures. This leaves considerable scope to expand clean electricity and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Singapore?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although only slightly. The latest 2026 figure reached about 10,540 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of about 10,480 kWh in 2025 by 56 kWh, or roughly 0.5%. This new high is encouraging as electrification and AI increase electricity needs. However, low-carbon electricity generation fell to 384 kWh per person, about 127 kWh—or a quarter—below its 2024 record of 511 kWh. That shortfall is concerning: clean electricity needs to grow alongside overall consumption.

Suggestions

Singapore can increase low-carbon electricity generation by accelerating rooftop and floating solar deployment while developing a pathway for nuclear electricity. Relevant examples include the Netherlands, a densely populated region where solar supplies 20% of electricity, and the island country of Cyprus, where it supplies 24%. The US state of Hawaii also demonstrates a substantial solar contribution, at 23%. For nuclear, Singapore can learn from South Korea, where nuclear supplies 26% of electricity, and the United Arab Emirates, where it supplies 20%, alongside France’s much larger share of roughly two-thirds. Together, these examples support pursuing both solar and nuclear to build a larger, dependable clean electricity supply.

History

Singapore’s recorded low-carbon electricity growth began modestly, with biofuels adding 0.1 TWh in 1986 and another 0.1 TWh annually from 2013 through 2015. Solar then began making small gains, adding 0.1 TWh in both 2016 and 2018, while biofuels recorded no change in 2018 before increasing by 1.1 TWh in 2019. In the early 2020s, biofuels declined by 0.1 TWh in 2020, remained unchanged in 2021 and increased by 0.4 TWh in 2022. Solar’s expansion became increasingly encouraging: after no recorded growth in 2015 and 2019, it added 0.1 TWh annually in 2020 and 2021, followed by 0.3 TWh each year from 2022 through 2024, 0.4 TWh in 2025 and 0.6 TWh in 2026. This accelerating solar growth offers a strong foundation for further clean electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.