Passive seismic study indicates potential geothermal reservoir in Yishun, Singapore
The NTU research team setting up a sensor and information board as part of the seismic survey (source: NTU)
Carlo Cariaga
5 Mar 2025
A research team from NTU has published the results of a passive seismic study indicating a water-saturated geothermal reservoir in Yishun district, Singapore.
A study conducted by researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has found found evidence of a highly fractured, water-saturated geothermal reservoir in the Yushin District, southeast of the Sembawang Hot Spring. The study provides the first non-invasive geophysical investigation and evidence of a viable geothermal reservoir in Singapore.
The full paper, “Geothermal potential in Singapore explored with non-invasive seismic data” by Bai et al. has been published in the Engineering Geology journal (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2025.107968).
Using ambient noise tomography technology, data was collected by placing 80 seismic sensors about 20 meters underground in Sembawang and Yishun. The sensors gathered data for 50 days between May to September 2023. The seismic data from the sensors was then processed to generate a 3D model of the subsurface structures within the study area.
The model indicates a highly fractured, fluid-saturated shallow geothermal reservoir in the Yushin district. Moreover, there is an observed crustal seismic discontinuity at around 4 kilometers depth, indicating a transition from the upper Bukit Timah granite to the porous metasedimentary basement. This could be a deeper aquifer that is feeding the shallow reservoir and, ultimately, the Sembawang hot spring.
Future work
With these positive results, another passive seismic campaign has been proposed by the research group that will cover the northeast and south regions of Singapore. The future study site will cover northeastern Punggol Park, down to Ang Mo Kio, Tanjong Pagar, and Chinatown, and towards the south to Bukit Merah.
The team is still applying for permits for the deployment of the sensors, but the target is for the second phase to begin before the end of 2025.
With this approach, geothermal exploration in Singapore is done in a non-invasive manner. It also allows for an optimized frequency and scale of deep drilling, thus reducing the overall costs of development.
Read more: Singapore, Asia’s newest emerging geothermal market
Source: Nanyang Technological University and The Straits Times
