Singapore wants to be powered by greener energy sources in the years ahead, and has set in motion a long-term plan to achieve this.

This includes a trial to import electricity from Malaysia, which could pave the way for more renewable energy imports from other nations in the region, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said yesterday.

For a start, the two-year trial with Malaysia will involve about 100MW of electricity imports, with renewable energy sources being the preferred option.

Singapore will also ramp up its efforts to install more solar panels here, and invest in research on low-carbon energy solutions.

This energy road map was announced by Mr Chan during the opening of the Singapore International Energy Week yesterday.

Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, an energy expert at the Nanyang Technological University, said the announcements "clearly represented a great deal of urgency and assuredness in the subject of decarbonising Singapore's energy mix".

The energy conference is the first pilot meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions event hosting up to 250 attendees on-site under the Singapore Tourism Board's Safe Business Events Framework. This meant all participants had to be tested for Covid-19 using antigen rapid tests.

Ms Jen Tan, senior vice-president of solar for Singapore and South-east Asia in the energy division at Sembcorp Solar Singapore, said the safety measures were worth it if they meant participants could attend the event in person.