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 table below; a product's full record lists the official sources behind it.

Every value below comes from the official sources listed in that product's full record. Most products cite more than one, and the published sources do not say which of them states each individual value, so the binding is to the product's record rather than to a single document. A missing line means the source does not state that value — never that the value is zero.

Scroll the table sideways for the rest of the columns →

6 ancillary-service products in National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS), grouped into 6 families. Each row runs left to right through one product's life: how it activates, how quickly it has to respond, how long it has to keep delivering, and how it is bought.
Service How it activates Response Sustained delivery Procurement
Regulation
Regulation REG raise; lower operational Response type pre-fault centrally controlled AGC Trigger PSO AGC instruction; no fixed public Hz threshold. Full activation 60 s As stated PSO requirement varies by system conditions; no stable range in Appendix 5A. PSO requirement varies by system conditions; no stable range in Appendix 5A. Through NEMS spot market Bought co-optimised in each 30-minute trading period How it settles Market clearing price for regulation in the co-optimised spot market.
Full record for Regulation — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

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

In force from

1 January 2025

Who can provide it

Registered AGC-capable facilities satisfying telemetry and performance standards.

Notes from the source

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

Checkpoint recap

Full activation 60 s

What the source does not state

The source states the full-activation requirement and a procurement volume in its own words. It does not state how long delivery has to be sustained.

Sources
Frequency containment
Primary Reserve 9-second reserve raise generation; lower load operational Response type post-fault automatic Trigger Automatic response to a contingency/frequency excursion; facility technical settings apply. Full activation 9 s Minimum obligation at least 10 min As stated System requirement is dynamic; an EMA illustration of roughly 600 MW is not treated as a fixed rule requirement. System requirement is dynamic; an EMA illustration of roughly 600 MW is not treated as a fixed rule requirement. Through NEMS reserve market Bought co-optimised in each 30-minute trading period How it settles Co-optimised primary-reserve market clearing price.
Full record for Primary Reserve — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

Automatically arrest frequency decline after a contingency.

In force from

1 January 2025

Who can provide it

Registered facilities passing primary-reserve performance requirements.

Notes from the source

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.

Checkpoint recap

Full activation 9 s · Minimum sustained 10 min

What the source does not state

The source states the full-activation requirement, a minimum delivery period, and a procurement volume in its own words. It does not state a maximum duration.

Sources
Contingency reserve
Contingency Reserve 10-minute reserve raise generation; lower load operational Response type post-fault centrally instructed Trigger PSO instruction after a contingency. Full activation 10 min Minimum obligation at least 30 min As stated Dynamic system requirement; no stable range in Appendix 5A. Dynamic system requirement; no stable range in Appendix 5A. Through NEMS reserve market Bought co-optimised in each 30-minute trading period How it settles Co-optimised contingency-reserve market clearing price.
Full record for Contingency Reserve — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

Replace primary response and restore reserve after a contingency.

In force from

1 January 2025

Who can provide it

Registered facilities that can reach scheduled response within ten minutes and sustain at least 30 minutes.

Checkpoint recap

Full activation 10 min · Minimum sustained 30 min

What the source does not state

The source states the full-activation requirement, a minimum delivery period, and a procurement volume in its own words. It does not state a maximum duration.

Sources
Reactive power & voltage
Reactive Support and Voltage Control REACTIVE reactive injection; reactive absorption Operational, under contract rather than through a market Response type automatic voltage regulator and PSO instruction Trigger PSO voltage setpoint/request and automatic-voltage-regulator action. As stated Reactive support is location-specific and commonly expressed in MVAr. Reactive support is location-specific and commonly expressed in MVAr. Through non-market ancillary-service contract/obligation Bought contractual How it settles Contract-specific.
Full record for Reactive Support and Voltage Control — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

Maintain transmission-system voltage and reactive-power balance.

In force from

1 January 2025

Who can provide it

Contracted or obligated registered facilities with AVR/reactive capability.

What the source does not state

The source states a procurement volume in its own words. It does not state a response time or how long delivery has to be sustained.

Sources
Black start & restoration
Black Start BLACK_START restore generation Operational, under contract rather than through a market Response type post-blackout manual instructed Trigger PSO system-restoration instruction. As stated Contract quantities and timing are not published as a common market product in Appendix 5A. Contract quantities and timing are not published as a common market product in Appendix 5A. Through ancillary-service contract Bought contractual How it settles Contract-specific.
Full record for Black Start — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

Restore generating capability and energise the system without external supply.

In force from

1 January 2025

Who can provide it

Contracted facilities passing black-start tests.

What the source does not state

The source states a procurement volume in its own words. It does not state a response time or how long delivery has to be sustained.

Sources
Other services
Fast Start Ancillary Service FSAS raise generation Operational, under contract rather than through a market Response type post-fault centrally instructed start Trigger PSO instruction under the service contract. Reported, not a current requirement 100 MW EMA awarded a contract for two fast-start units totalling 100 MW, expected operational in Q2 2025; this is contracted capacity, not a recurring spot requirement. Through competitive ancillary-service contract award Bought multi-year contract How it settles Contract-specific.
Full record for Fast Start Ancillary Service — document bound, page for these figures not recorded
What it is for

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

In force from

1 April 2025

Who can provide it

Contract-awarded fast-start generating units meeting PSO tests.

What the source does not state

The source states a procurement volume. It does not state a response time or how long delivery has to be sustained.

Sources
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

Rules

Service specification

Capacity-mechanism explainer

Current as of · from the Global Electricity Market Catalogue v1.2.0 (compiled to , CC BY 4.0, rendered here with wording edited for readability). 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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