What Are the Natural Resources of Singapore?

Luke Ma/CC-BY 2.0

Singapore is a small city-state with a limited number of natural resources, according to Trade Chakra. Water is considered scarce in Singapore, and the government is taking measures to conserve it. Singapore has nonrenewable resources, including coal, oil and natural gas, but in very limited amounts. In an effort to increase the city-state’s resource base, the government is investing heavily in developing renewable resources.

A renewable resource is a resource that can be replenished or replaced through biological reproduction or other natural processes. When energy is obtained from renewable resources, the strain placed on the limited supply of nonrenewable resources is reduced. Singapore relies on the use of biomass as a renewable energy source. Biomass utilizes the energy contained in organic matter such as leaves, wood, crops, bones and scales. It is stored energy, and biomass can be converted into fuel or electricity, according to Trade Chakra.

Singapore has the potential to benefit from solar power, but it can’t effectively use solar power due to a lack of land. Singapore relies on natural gas to generate 80 percent of its electricity. Because Singapore has a low base of nonrenewable resources, such as coal, oil and gas, the city-state relies heavily on imports.