Singapore LNG joins initiative to study hydrogen as fuel

LNG terminal operator Singapore LNG and six other companies on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop ways to use hydrogen as a low-carbon energy source in Singapore.

The four Singaporean and two Japanese companies are PSA Corporation, Jurong Port, City Gas, Sembcorp Industries, Chiyoda Corporation and its main shareholder, Mitsubishi Corporation.

The memorandum involves the research and development of technologies related to the importation, transportation and storage of hydrogen using Chiyoda’s SPERA Hydrogen technology, according to a joint statement.

“This MOU marks an important first step towards making another sustainable energy option, namely hydrogen, available for Singapore, ” Tan Soo Koong, CEO of Singapore LNG said in the statement.

He added that the company was pleased to be a part of this “pioneering and very exciting” collaboration, through seeking synergistic ways of using Singapore LNG’s terminal infrastructure.

“We are in the midst of a global energy transition, and SLNG is committed to doing what we can to facilitate and catalyse this process,” Soo Koong said.

The National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore will also work alongside the companies to study how technologies such as catalysis can be further developed for the production and distribution of hydrogen.

“Singapore needs to stay ahead in the research and development of alternative energy sources in our transition towards a low-carbon and low-emission economy,” Low Teck Seng, CEO of NRF said.

“We are encouraged that companies are coming together, leveraging each other’s expertise, to study how hydrogen can be used as an emissions-free alternative to existing carbon sources,” he added.