Singapore controls data centre growth by handing out power in competitive government calls. The latest round in August 2026 gave 200MW at a new Jurong Island park to four operators, on condition that each site is highly efficient and draws at least half its power from green sources. A Digital Infrastructure Bill, first read in Parliament on 8 September 2026, would require a licence for every data centre of 3MW or more and is waiting for its Second Reading.
Grid power for a large industrial user in Singapore costs about US$0.20 per kWh as of July 2026, the country figure ArusGrid applies where a site has no published rate. The US export control position for advanced AI chips in Singapore, as of 27 September 2026, is recorded as “No US destination-based licence requirement as enforced”.
Approvals and licensing · Power · Incentives · Data rules · Water and cooling · On the clock · 38 projects in Singapore
Singapore paused new data centre approvals in 2019. The government lifted the pause in January 2022 and said it would choose only projects that are best in class for resource efficiency and that serve national economic goals.
The pilot Data Centre Call for Application (DC-CFA) chose four proposals in July 2023 for about 80MW in total. The winners were the AirTrunk-ByteDance consortium, Equinix, GDS and Microsoft. Winning projects had to use liquid cooling widely and earn Green Mark for Data Centres Platinum certification.
The second call (DC-CFA2) received more than 20 proposals. It gave 50MW each to Digital Realty, Equinix, Keppel Data Centres and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, 200MW in total, at the Jurong Island data centre park. The allocation is provisional.
DC-CFA2 projects must reach a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 or better at full IT load. PUE is total facility power divided by IT power. At least 50% of each project's power must come from approved green pathways such as biomethane, low-carbon ammonia or hydrogen, and each project must earn Green Mark for Data Centres 2024 Platinum.
The 2024 Green Data Centre Roadmap targets at least 300MW of additional data centre capacity in the near term. More capacity is tied to the use of green energy.
The government has set aside about 20 hectares on Jurong Island for a data centre park of up to 700MW. Nearby energy projects such as solar, battery storage and hydrogen-ready plants are planned to support it.
A business that uses 4MWh or more a month on average buys electricity at wholesale prices through SP Group unless it picks a licensed retailer. Large data centres therefore pay market-linked prices. They do not pay the regulated household tariff.
The regulated household tariff is 28.59 Singapore cents per kWh before GST from 1 October to 31 December 2026. That is 10.4% lower than the 31.91 cents charged in Q3. The overall tariff including non-household rates fell by an average of 10.6%.
Singapore aims to import about 6GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035. EMA had given conditional approvals for more than 8GW by February 2026. In August 2026 it approved a further 900MW of solar and battery power from Johor, expected around 2029.
Power generators pay a carbon tax of S$45 per tonne of CO2 equivalent in 2026 and 2027. Generators pass this cost on through electricity prices, so data centres bear it indirectly.
The Green Data Centre Roadmap aims for data centres to reach a PUE of 1.3 or lower. This is a policy goal with no legal penalties attached. New capacity awarded in 2026 must meet the stricter 1.25.
BCA and IMDA run the Green Mark for Data Centres certification. It rates energy efficiency, sustainable design and maintainability at Gold, GoldPLUS or Platinum level. Platinum under the 2024 version is mandatory for DC-CFA2 winners.
EDB's Resource Efficiency Grant for Emissions, REG(E), can fund up to 50% of qualifying costs for data centre projects that cut emissions. A project must cut at least 250 tonnes of CO2 a year, verified by an independent endorser. EDB accepts applications until the end of FY2030.
IMDA's grant pays up to 70% of the cost of pre-approved efficient IT equipment for small firms and up to 30% for larger ones, capped at S$30,000 per firm. It is open only to groups with turnover of S$500 million or less, so large operators cannot use it. IMDA's page says these rates apply until 31 March 2026, and no extension has been confirmed.
The Refundable Investment Credit can cover up to 50% of qualifying spending, and unused credits are paid out in cash within four years. EDB and EnterpriseSG run it. The scheme does not name data centres as a qualifying activity.
The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) lets organisations move personal data abroad only if the data keeps protection comparable to the PDPA. The Act has no general rule that data must stay in Singapore.
MAS Technology Risk Management Guidelines require financial institutions to manage cloud and third-party provider risk and to protect data confidentiality. They set no specific rule on where data must be stored.
Government on Commercial Cloud (GCC) is GovTech's platform for running less sensitive government systems on commercial cloud. GovTech aimed to move more than 70% of eligible systems to the cloud by the end of 2022.
The 2024 amendments to the Cybersecurity Act created a category called foundational digital infrastructure, covering cloud providers and data centres. The amendments on critical information infrastructure took effect on 31 October 2025. The part on foundational digital infrastructure had not started as of that date.
The Digital Infrastructure Bill would license data centres of 10MW critical IT load or more that serve third parties. It would also license cloud providers that earn at least S$100 million a year from Singapore users. Licensees would need security, business continuity and incident reporting measures, with fines up to S$1 million or 10% of Singapore turnover, whichever is higher.
Under PUB's Mandatory Water Efficiency Management Practices, large water users such as data centres must report their water use to PUB.
IMDA and PUB aim to help data centres reach a water usage effectiveness (WUE) of 2.0 cubic metres per MWh or lower over the next 10 years. WUE is the water a site uses for each unit of IT energy. This is a policy goal with no legal penalties attached.
PUB's sector benchmark puts the median data centre WUE at 2.1 cubic metres per MWh in its December 2025 edition. The previous figure was 2.2.
SS 697:2023 guides operators to raise data hall temperatures step by step to 26°C or higher. IMDA estimates 2% to 5% cooling energy savings for each 1°C rise. The standard is voluntary.
SS 715:2025 sets energy efficiency baselines for data centre IT equipment and calls for equipment that runs safely at up to 35°C. It aims to cut IT equipment energy use by at least 30%.
The Bill had its First Reading on 8 September 2026, after a public consultation from 1 to 22 July 2026 that drew 25 responses. MDDI said the Second Reading will happen at the next available sitting of Parliament. As of 3 October 2026 the Bill had not passed.
Under the Bill, every data centre operator with 3MW or more of critical IT load would need an IMDA licence and would have to meet facility PUE standards. Regulations will set the exact PUE level later. IT equipment and water efficiency rules may follow after industry consultation.
Major data centre operators and cloud providers are expected to hold licences by mid-2027, according to The Straits Times. Operators have asked for enough transition time to upgrade existing sites. MDDI has said existing data centres will get time to adjust.
After the DC-CFA2 awards, the government said it will review in 18 to 24 months whether another call is needed to allocate more capacity.
The carbon tax is set to rise from S$45 per tonne to between S$50 and S$80 per tonne by 2030. Generators pass carbon costs on through electricity prices, so this would raise power costs for data centres.
What this research looked for and could not confirm from a primary or credible source. Listed so the gaps are visible.
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