Debated in Parliament on 5 Feb 2025.
Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether Singapore is on track to meet the targets under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to (i) reduce the amount of waste to landfill per capita per day by 20% by 2026 and (ii) reach 1.5 gigawatt-peak of solar energy deployment to meet 2 per cent of 2025 projected electricity demands; and (b) what is the current amount of (i) waste to landfill per capita per day and (ii) electricity demands met by solar energy deployment.
Under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, we had set targets to reduce the amount of waste sent to the Semakau Landfill by 20% by 2026 and 30% by 2030, on a per capita per day basis, from our baseline in 2018.
While our domestic waste generated per capita and non-domestic waste generated per dollar gross domestic product have decreased over the past decade, our waste-to-landfill per capita per day remains about the same as the pre-pandemic baseline in 2018. This is largely because recycling rates have dropped due to challenges, such as higher freight costs, import restrictions by foreign countries and lower demand for recycled materials.
We will continue to strengthen our efforts and work with stakeholders to reduce waste, close the waste loop and extend the lifespan of Semakau Landfill. These include working with the industry to roll out the beverage container return scheme in 2026 and exploring the use of landfilled mixed materials as reclamation fill.
On solar energy, we are on track to meeting our 2025 target of 1.5 gigawatt-peak of deployment. As of June 2024, we have achieved 1.35 gigawatt-peak of deployment, which can meet around 2% of Singapore's annual electricity demand.
Mr Ang Wei Neng.
Mr Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. We understand there are challenges in meeting the waste-to-landfill target and I have two supplementary questions. Given that solar panels are getting better and cheaper, over the years, will the Government consider encouraging the installation of solar panels even more?
For example, would the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) work with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as the Ministry of National Development to mandate all new commercial buildings of a certain size and houses of a certain size to install solar panels; and also mandate commercial buildings and also housing of a certain size to install solar panels when they go through additions and alterations. This is the first supplementary question.
The second supplementary question is, given that the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement one more time, what is the impact on the Singapore Green Plan and whether Government is reviewing the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and beyond.
For the industrial sectors, since 2017, JTC has installed the Solar Roof Programme and that aims to accelerate the installation of solar panels on industrial properties' rooftops. This programme commenced with the solarisation of JTC's own building rooftops and has since expanded to encompass non-JTC buildings, with a focus on privately leased industrial properties since 2021. This programme requires zero upfront capital outlay and operational costs from the industrialists, making solar adoption easy and accessible. MSE will continue to work with our other industries and agencies to promote the use of cleaner energy.
As for the private residential sector, currently, there are no plans for demand aggregation.
On Mr Ang's point about the impact on global efforts to contain emissions with the new term of the Trump administration, indeed, we are observing. We do see challenges ahead, but Singapore will continue to work with like-minded countries and persevere with these targets and efforts to curb global emissions. It is something where we look forward to the public's and the industries' support to do their part. With that, we can then encourage more countries to adhere to our commitments.
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