No Idea Too Big Or Too Small

We all have the potential to affect positive change in the world. Leading the way with their big ideas are Perry Ong, John Tan, Evie Zhang, and Caleb Wu.

- Charmian Leong & Mary Lim

Natural gas doesn’t get much attention in energy source discussions, for better or for worse. It may not be as sexy as renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal and the like, but it burns more cleanly than coal and oil and is also relatively available and cheaper. Because of these qualities, no one pays much attention to it since it’s not offensive enough to stop using, but that hasn’t deterred City Energy from exploring even greener alternatives.

Previously known as City Gas, the 160-year-old company rebranded in December last year as part of a new commitment to supporting the Singapore Green Plan 2030 by providing green energy solutions. Among these is the use of green hydrogen.

Natural gas is used as a partial feedstock to produce town gas, which mainly comprises hydrogen and methane. “The way hydrogen molecules are extracted makes hydrogen green,” City Energy CEO Perry Ong explains. “We could, for example, use renewable sources of electricity to power the electrolysis process that separates hydrogen from water. Water itself must also come from a sustainable source.”

Grey hydrogen is the most common type of hydrogen produced today, resulting from the energy-intensive steam reforming. City Energy has also been using this method, but it is working with partners like Woodside Energy, Keppel Data Centres, Osaka Gas Singapore and City-OG Gas Energy Services to study the feasibility of a long-term, stable supply of green liquid hydrogen from Australia to Singapore.