Held in a new hybrid format this year, SIEW 2020 was held both physically and virtually, and was the first pilot event for up to 250 onsite participants in Singapore. SIEW 2020 gathered more than 30 Ministers and 300 speakers and thought leaders globally to exchange strategic insights on the new opportunities and pathways to a low carbon energy future. The hybrid event, which took place on 26-30 October 2020, allowed for participation from around the world, attracting over 20,000 online viewers from over 80 countries.
Here are the highlights from the five days of engaging and insightful energy discussions:
Singapore's role in driving sustainable energy transition
In his SIEW Opening Remarks, Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Chan Chun Sing, outlined his vision for Singapore to be a Bright Green Spark that inspires urban societies to create a more sustainable, higher quality living environment.
Minister Chan announced a $49 million Low-Carbon Energy Research Funding Initiative to support the research and development of low carbon energy technologies such as hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). He emphasised that the vision to be a Bright Green Spark will not be deterred by the current pandemic—and the importance of investing in the longer term for the post-pandemic world.
This year’s SIEW Opening Keynote was delivered by:
- The Hon. Angus Taylor MP, Australia's Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, who highlighted the importance of ensuring new technologies such as CCUS are cost-competitive to encourage adoption, to accelerate the energy transition.
- Dr Jochen Eickholt, Member of the Executive Board, Siemens Energy, who shared how hydrogen can be a game-changer in the transition to a more sustainable energy future.
Collaborating to transition to a low carbon future
Senior government officials and industry stakeholders gathered to discuss the pivot to a low carbon energy future during the Singapore Energy Summit. In his keynote, Dr Tan See Leng, Second Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore, said that the transition towards low carbon energy will bring new opportunities to accelerate sustainability and improve energy resilience.
H.E. YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Md Hussein, Minister of Energy, Brunei Darussalam, echoed Dr Tan’s views, highlighting the key role governments play in directing energy investment towards long-term sustainability.
The Summit featured a special "In Conversation" session with His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He touched on the global need to harness, facilitate, and promote sustainable technologies—and the role of the Circular Carbon Economy to provide “an inclusive approach to focus mindsets on reducing emissions which contribute to climate change”.
During the Summit, several prominent thought leaders spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on energy transition:
- H.E. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), noted that the pandemic served as a reminder for countries in Asia Pacific to steer towards sustainable energy transition and transform from grey economies to green economies.
- Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said that despite the pandemic, energy transformation will remain a key priority as it is a basic utility for society. Investment in low carbon technologies and renewables will also add more than 5 million jobs by 2023, leading a green recovery to a more resilient future.
- H.E. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), highlighted the importance of decisively addressing climate change challenges by building cities that are clean, green and sustainable.
- The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Minister of State, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, United Kingdom, shared that it was important to sustain investments in renewable technologies in order to meet climate change targets.
SIEW 2020 was the first pilot MICE event with up to 250 attendees onsite as part of the safe and gradual resumption of economic activities in Singapore. Discover how the event gathered global energy leaders for a safe and engaging hybrid event.
Watch Video
Accelerating renewables integration and energy system resilience
Singapore and International Energy Agency (IEA) co-hosted the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on System Integration of Renewables. The Global Ministerial Conference brought together close to 30 energy ministers, global CEOs and thought leaders to discuss renewables integration and power system resilience.
The IEA Executive Director, Dr Fatih Birol shared his views on the growing impact of renewable energy in accelerating clean energy transitions and recommendations for Southeast Asia to enhance renewable grid integration and electricity security. The discussion sessions focused on the importance of increasing investments on clean energy and the development of resilient and flexible power systems.
Strengthening energy cooperation with international partners
On the sidelines of SIEW 2020, Singapore took steps to forge closer cooperation with Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom:
Pulse on developments in the energy landscape
During SIEW Energy Insights, thought leaders shared in-depth industry perspectives and findings from the latest energy reports:
- In a session co-led by A*STAR and the Singapore Battery Consortium, speakers highlighted the latest developments in battery technologies and energy storage systems that complement renewables to ensure grid stability.
- ENGIE delivered a presentation on how low carbon solutions can help reduce energy consumption and accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral world.
- SP Group showcased the digital technologies and innovative energy solutions that are powering sustainable smart cities.
The SIEW Thinktank Roundtables brought together industry experts to discuss emerging trends and dynamic shifts in the energy landscape. Trending topics discussed include the renewables outlook for Southeast Asia and sustainable development in the buildings and cooling sectors.
SIEW 2020 also featured wide-ranging discussions and updates in the lead-up to COP26, the first watershed COP for countries to submit ambitious NDCs following the landmark Paris Agreement. The discussions included a Roundtable session on the commercial opportunities of decarbonisation, examining how businesses, investors, organisations, cities, and regions can drive and coordinate action on climate change.
SIEW 2020 Partner event highlights
In her opening address at the Asia Clean Energy Summit, Ms Grace Fu, Minister of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore, shared the key strategies for Singapore to adopt new clean energy solutions and increase energy efficiency.
At the LNG & Hydrogen Gas Markets Asia, Dr Tan See Leng, Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, announced Singapore’s plans to build an offshore LNG terminal to increase the country’s LNG import capacity.
Industry leaders at the Asian Downstream Summit & ARTC 2020 discussed how refiners and petrochemical firms can transform their operations through technology innovations such as digital twin and artificial intelligence (AI).
Empowering tomorrow’s energy innovators
Capping off the week with Youth@SIEW, Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, shared how the energy industry would need to adapt to new ways of learning and different business models and called for youths to play an active role in Singapore’s energy transformation. Mr Kelvin Lim, Group Chief Executive Officer of Durapower Holdings Pte Ltd, highlighted that the growing energy storage market driven by green-generated power, will create job opportunities that require new skillsets to support energy transition.
Youth@SIEW also featured a Youth Energy Showcase, where students presented innovative energy projects to drive sustainability in the energy sector. Nine teams from Singapore’s ITE, polytechnics and universities showcased their creative ideas based on the topics of Decarbonisation and Digitalisation, sharing innovative solutions that can help chart Singapore’s Energy Story.
Ms Low also presented the awards to two recipients of the Energy-Industry Scholarship, sponsored by SP Group. The Energy-Industry Scholarship is the first dedicated scholarship to develop and nurture talent for the Power sector.
SIEW 2021 will be held on 25-29 October 2021! Save the date for the event and watch out for more updates right here on siew.gov.sg