S'pore hosts US firm's hydropower centre

TO cater to South-east Asia's growing demand for alternative energy, the US-headquartered engineering and construction firm Black & Veatch opened a Hydropower Centre of Excellence in Singapore on Wednesday.

The Republic, which lacks a major river system, seems an unlikely place for such a facility, but - with the support of Singapore's Economic Development Board - Black & Veatch's plan is to recruit local hydropower professionals and pool cross-region resources in Singapore to explore opportunities in the neighbouring countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, where generation capacity is set to double in the next 10 years.

South-east Asia is one of the world's fastest-growing regions, with Gross Domestic Product growth rates to average 5.4 per cent per annum between this year and 2018, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.