The seventh Singapore Electricity Roundtable, held on 1 and 2 November at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, saw a record number of attendees. Close to 230 participants attended the Roundtable this year, including representatives from the National Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) as well as related industries like oil and gas. The event also attracted many participants from supporting industries including power generation suppliers, financial institutions and consultancies, as well as representatives from local and foreign government ministries and agencies. 

This is the fourth year that EMC has partnered with the Energy Market Authority (EMA), hosting the Roundtable as part of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW). Participants of the Roundtable this year came from many different countries, including Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Thailand, as well as European countries such as Sweden and United Kingdom.  

The event opened with a welcome address by EMC Chairman Wong Meng Meng, who noted that the Roundtable has become an important platform for the exchange of ideas among experts in the electricity and energy sectors. The SIEW has also grown in size and content over the years, reflecting the increasing importance that governments and businesses around the world place on energy and electricity issues.

Besides Carl, we were privileged to have three other seasoned electricity market experts speaking at the Roundtable this year. Peter Geers, Senior Manager Market Convergence from the Australian Energy Market Operator, spoke on Australia’s experience with the integration of gas and electricity markets; Kjell Asserlind, the Vice President of International Energy Sales at NASDAQ OMX, provided an update on the European electricity markets and shared his views on the opportunities for an electricity derivative market in Singapore; and Dallon Kay, Managing Director of Diamond Energy Group, gave a presentation on demand response.

Nuclear power was also included as a topic this year, arising from feedback received from the event in 2010. Dr Selena Ng, Regional Director of South-East Asia & Oceania at AREVA, gave a detailed account of the Fukushima nuclear incident and the international response from governments worldwide following it, before touching on the prospects for nuclear power in ASEAN.

We would like to thank all participants for their continued support of the Roundtable. The strong interest shown by both new and returning participants serves as an inspiration to us each year, and we hope to welcome everyone again at the Singapore Electricity Roundtable 2012.