Singapore has identified underground geothermal reserves that could be more than 60 times greater than the city-state’s total annual electricity consumption, according to findings from a two-year government-backed survey.
The discovery has prompted energy regulators to launch a 15-month feasibility study into building the country’s first utility-scale geothermal power plant.
What the survey found
Singapore’s geothermal resource potential is estimated to be more than 60 times its current annual electricity consumption of approximately 60 TWh , according to preliminary findings from a survey, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) said on Monday (Oct 26), following a two-year non-invasive geophysical survey conducted from 2024 to 2026 by a consortium of leading global consultants, including Chevron, Metatek Group, and Surbana Jurong .
Pulau Tekong, Singapore’s largest outlying island, is one of the areas identified as holding potentially vast reserves of subterranean geothermal energy, with a hot spring located in its northern Unum region .
The finding is notable because Singapore has almost no domestic energy resources of its own: as of October 2025, about 95 percent of Singapore’s electricity is generated with natural gas.
A geothermal resource of this scale, even if only a fraction proves commercially extractable, would represent a meaningful shift for a country that has long depended on imported fuel. Further studies will be needed to validate these estimates of Singapore’s geothermal technical potential and determine the amount of geothermal energy that can be feasibly extracted.
A 15-month feasibility study begins
Singapore has awarded the contract for a geothermal feasibility study following the positive results of a two-year geophysical survey, with the Energy Market Authority (EMA) appointing a consortium formed by Surbana Jurong and GLJ Ltd to conduct a feasibility study on the potential deployment of next-generation geothermal plants in Singapore.
The Energy Market Authority said this follows a nationwide survey that found high-temperature geothermal resources at depths of several kilometres underground, which may be suitable for electricity generation.
The study, scheduled to commence by the end of 2026 and is estimated to take about 15 months , will cover safety considerations, technical viability, and the cost of geothermal energy production.
The consortium’s work will determine whether the heat found several kilometers underground can be economically converted into grid-scale electricity, a step well short of guaranteeing a working plant but a necessary one before any drilling or construction decision can be made. Any decision to deploy geothermal will be taken after further technical and feasibility studies are completed and will depend on the progress of technologies for deep geothermal energy , said the EMA.
Why it matters for a land-constrained grid
Singapore’s limited land area has long complicated efforts to scale up renewable generation such as solar, since the country has little open ground for large arrays.
A verified geothermal resource, which requires a comparatively small surface footprint relative to its power output, would give planners another option for decarbonizing a grid that currently relies heavily on imported natural gas. EMA chief executive Puah Kok Keong said geothermal energy is an indigenous source of clean energy that can provide constant power, and can potentially play an important role in our energy mix.
The geothermal push mirrors a broader push by developers in the United States to validate so-called next-generation geothermal technology, where firms have reported figures such as the Cape Station plant moving a commercial enhanced geothermal system into operation.
Grid planners in several countries have been weighing geothermal as a firm, around-the-clock complement to intermittent renewables, a pairing that has also shaped the economics behind projects like four-hour battery storage undercutting gas peakers in the United States.
What happens next
If the feasibility study confirms that geothermal power can be generated at a commercially viable cost and depth, Singapore would need to move through engineering design, environmental review, and a construction decision before any plant could begin supplying the grid.
A decision on deploying geothermal energy in the country has not yet been made , and officials have not disclosed a projected capacity for a prospective plant.
The study’s conclusions, expected in roughly 2028 based on the announced 15-month timeline starting at the end of 2026, will determine whether geothermal becomes a serious contributor to Singapore’s electricity mix or remains a resource that is technically present but not economically extractable.
