Singapore Geothermal Potential May Exceed 60x Power Use

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes · Last updated: 27 October 2026

Singapore geothermal potential may be more than 60 times what the city-state consumes in electricity each year, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) said on 26 October 2026. Annual demand runs at around 60 terawatt-hours, so the preliminary estimate implies a resource above roughly 3,600 terawatt-hours, held in hot rock several kilometres below the island. The number comes from a nationwide geophysical survey carried out from 2024 to 2026 without drilling a single well. It is a measure of heat in the ground, not a production forecast. EMA says more work must confirm the technical potential and show how much can be extracted, and minister Tan See Leng says Singapore has made no decision on deploying geothermal power.

If proven to be viable for electricity generation, Singapore's geothermal energy resources will strengthen our energy resilience and support the decarbonisation of the power sector.

Puah Kok Keong, chief executive, Energy Market Authority

What the 2024 to 2026 Survey Measured Beneath Singapore

A non-invasive geophysical survey studies rock deep underground using measurements that do not require boring wells. EMA's nationwide survey ran from 2024 to 2026 and paired two such techniques. Together they produced three-dimensional models showing Singapore's underlying geology and where heat is concentrated within it.

The work was divided among a consortium. Metatek Group handled data acquisition and processing. Chevron then took that processed data and built the 3D model of geology and heat resources. Surbana Jurong was the third named member of the group.

The survey examined rock down to 10km, the depth range that matters for generating power. Several kilometres below the surface, it located high-temperature resources that EMA says may be suitable for electricity generation. That qualifier carries weight. The estimate rests on modelling from surface-based measurements rather than on drilled wells, which is why EMA describes the results as preliminary.

Why More Than 60 Times Demand Is Not a Power Supply Yet

Singapore uses around 60 terawatt-hours of electricity a year. A terawatt-hour is a unit of energy large enough to measure a whole country's annual demand. Apply the survey's ratio and the resource estimate comes out above roughly 3,600 terawatt-hours. That is technical potential: heat in the ground before cost, access and safety reduce what can be used.

Speaking at Singapore International Energy Week 2026, Tan See Leng, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry), described the results as "a very good start". If it is realised, he said, the country might be able to draw its power from geothermal sources for roughly six decades. That projection depends entirely on the condition attached to it. EMA itself says more studies are required to confirm the estimates and work out how much energy is feasible to extract.

Tan named the factors that will decide the final number: the cost and technical feasibility of extraction, and how quickly deep drilling technology improves. He also pointed to the city's density. "Our dense urban environment will also affect how many geothermal power plants we can eventually or feasibly deploy, and most importantly, we must keep safety as a top-of-mind consideration," he said.

What the Surbana Jurong and GLJ Study Will Decide

EMA has moved to a second phase. It appointed a consortium formed by Surbana Jurong and GLJ Ltd to examine whether next-generation geothermal plants could be deployed in Singapore. The study will weigh safety, technical viability and the cost of producing geothermal energy, across electricity generation as well as cooling and heating.

The work is due to begin by the end of 2026 and is expected to last about 15 months. If it starts on that schedule, findings would arrive around early 2028. Surbana Jurong is the one firm involved in both the survey and the follow-up study, giving some continuity between the resource modelling and the engineering assessment.

Tan was clear that the study is not a commitment. Singapore has not decided whether to deploy geothermal power, and he said reaching that decision could take many years. Even so, he said "no option is off the table" for Singapore and that the government will explore geothermal seriously. The honest reading is that Singapore is paying to find out, not promising to build.

Cooler, Shallower Heat and the Case for Constant Power

Not all of the resource lies deep. The consortium also assessed lower-temperature geothermal heat at shallower depths. That heat could potentially serve industrial heating and cooling through heat pumps and absorption chillers, machines that produce cooling from a heat source. This use would not depend on the deep drilling advances Tan identified as a constraint on power generation.

Puah Kok Keong, EMA's chief executive, framed geothermal as an "indigenous source of clean energy that can provide constant power, and can potentially play an important role in our energy mix". The appeal he describes is a domestic supply that runs steadily rather than rising and falling with conditions.

Puah tied that to two policy goals. If geothermal proves viable for electricity, he said, it would strengthen Singapore's energy resilience and help decarbonise the power sector. Both outcomes remain conditional on the next study's answers about cost, safety and how much heat can be drawn out from under a crowded city.

What could help or hold back geothermal in Singapore

The bottom line

The survey gives Singapore its first modelled picture of the heat under the island, and the headline ratio is large. More than 60 times annual demand is a striking figure for a country with few domestic energy options. But every person speaking for the government attached conditions to it. Tan See Leng tied the 60-year supply prospect to the resource being realised, listed cost, drilling technology, density and safety as limits, and said a decision could be years away. The meaningful test is the Surbana Jurong and GLJ Ltd study, which will price geothermal power and judge whether plants can operate safely in a crowded city. Until it reports, the estimate describes possibility, not supply.

What to watch

• Watch for the Surbana Jurong and GLJ Ltd study to begin, which EMA has scheduled for the end of 2026.
• Watch for the study's findings on safety, viability and cost, expected roughly 15 months after its start, which points to around early 2028.
• Watch for a government decision on whether to deploy geothermal power; no date has been set, and Tan See Leng says it could take many years.