National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)

Singapore. Status: operational.

Wholesale design: Mandatory gross pool with nodal scheduling. The market clearing engine co-optimises energy, regulation and reserve in 30-minute trading periods; the Uniform Singapore Energy Price is the load-weighted nodal energy price.

Operator
Energy Market Company (market operator); Energy Market Authority (power system operator and regulator)
Nominal frequency
50 Hz
Where energy trades

Where does energy trade in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)?

Energy in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) trades in 2 layers: spot energy and vesting and bilateral financial contracts.

What a battery can sell

What ancillary services can a battery sell in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)?

National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) has 6 ancillary-service products, across 6 families — regulation, frequency containment, contingency reserve, reactive power & voltage, black start & restoration and other services: Black Start, Contingency Reserve, Fast Start Ancillary Service, Primary Reserve, Reactive Support and Voltage Control, Regulation. Response timing, direction and eligibility for each are in the cards below, as the official sources state them.

Facts below are stated as the official sources state them. A missing line means the source does not state that value — never that the value is zero.

Regulation

  • Regulation REG

    operational

    Correct continuous supply-demand imbalance and maintain system frequency through AGC-capable movement.

    Direction
    raise; lower
    Full activation
    60 s
    Trigger / range
    PSO AGC instruction; no fixed public Hz threshold.
    Eligibility
    Registered AGC-capable facilities satisfying telemetry and performance standards.
    Typical procurement
    PSO requirement varies by system conditions; no stable range in Appendix 5A.

    Appendix 5A specifies maximum 60 seconds for full offered regulation capacity; it does not specify one separate sustain duration.

Frequency containment

  • Primary Reserve 9-second reserve

    operational

    Automatically arrest frequency decline after a contingency.

    Direction
    raise generation; lower load
    Full activation
    9 s
    Sustain
    at least 10 min
    Trigger / range
    Automatic response to a contingency/frequency excursion; facility technical settings apply.
    Eligibility
    Registered facilities passing primary-reserve performance requirements.
    Typical procurement
    System requirement is dynamic; an EMA illustration of roughly 600 MW is not treated as a fixed rule requirement.

    Scheduled MW response must be automatic within 9 seconds and maintained until 10 minutes from the trigger. The 600-second field records the rule's total response-duration convention from trigger, not an additional hold after full activation.

Contingency reserve

  • Contingency Reserve 10-minute reserve

    operational

    Replace primary response and restore reserve after a contingency.

    Direction
    raise generation; lower load
    Full activation
    10 min
    Sustain
    at least 30 min
    Trigger / range
    PSO instruction after a contingency.
    Eligibility
    Registered facilities that can reach scheduled response within ten minutes and sustain at least 30 minutes.
    Typical procurement
    Dynamic system requirement; no stable range in Appendix 5A.

Reactive power & voltage

  • Reactive Support and Voltage Control REACTIVE

    operational non market contract

    Maintain transmission-system voltage and reactive-power balance.

    Direction
    reactive injection; reactive absorption
    Trigger / range
    PSO voltage setpoint/request and automatic-voltage-regulator action.
    Eligibility
    Contracted or obligated registered facilities with AVR/reactive capability.
    Typical procurement
    Reactive support is location-specific and commonly expressed in MVAr.

Black start & restoration

  • Black Start BLACK_START

    operational non market contract

    Restore generating capability and energise the system without external supply.

    Direction
    restore generation
    Trigger / range
    PSO system-restoration instruction.
    Eligibility
    Contracted facilities passing black-start tests.
    Typical procurement
    Contract quantities and timing are not published as a common market product in Appendix 5A.

Other services

  • Fast Start Ancillary Service FSAS

    operational non market contract

    Provide rapid backup generation during contingencies and reduce risk of interrupted supply.

    Direction
    raise generation
    Trigger / range
    PSO instruction under the service contract.
    Eligibility
    Contract-awarded fast-start generating units meeting PSO tests.
    Typical procurement
    100 MW
Getting paid to exist

Does National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) have a capacity mechanism?

No central capacity market. National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) has 1 capacity/adequacy arrangement — Centralised Process for New Generation Capacity — and it works differently.

Centralised Process for New Generation Capacity

operational

EMA forecasts reserve margin and can launch an RFP for private parties to build, own and operate new generation if the projected reserve margin falls below the required level. The previously consulted Forward Capacity Market remains deferred.

Auction held in 2025
No — No capacity auction for this market was found to have been held during 2025 in the sources reviewed.

EMA announced an RFP award in January 2025, but it was a project-selection process and published no capacity clearing price; recorded as a non-auction procurement event.

Caveats

Technical notes

Traded regulation, primary reserve and contingency reserve; reactive support, black start and fast-start capability are procured contractually.

Where this comes from

Official sources

Service specification

Market explainer

Current as of · from the Global Electricity Market Catalogue v1.2.0 (compiled to , CC BY 4.0). Facts belong to the linked official authorities; verify the current rules before design or bidding decisions.

Questions

Common questions about National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)

Who operates National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)?
National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) covers Singapore and is operated by Energy Market Company (market operator); Energy Market Authority (power system operator and regulator).
Was a qualifying capacity event held in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) in 2025?
No. Centralised Process for New Generation Capacity: no qualifying 2025 event is recorded. No capacity auction for this market was found to have been held during 2025 in the sources reviewed.
How is energy traded, priced and settled in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS)?
National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS): Mandatory gross pool with nodal scheduling. The market clearing engine co-optimises energy, regulation and reserve in 30-minute trading periods; the Uniform Singapore Energy Price is the load-weighted nodal energy price.
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