S$5m tech centre to boost energy efficiency for SMEs to be launched by end-2019

[SINGAPORE] A tech centre to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more energy-efficient will be launched here by the end of this year, said Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Albert Chua on Thursday.

The Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC), which will cost S$5m to establish, will help SMEs to assess how energy-efficient they are and how they can improve their energy performance.

Besides providing SMEs with energy performance assessments, the centre will also serve as a training ground for developing energy assessment skills.

The centre, hosted by Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), will let SIT's engineering undergraduates, as well as industry professionals, get hands-on experience working on real-life energy efficiency projects for companies.

A new Energy Management Information Systems grant, under the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Fund, will also be launched to support companies in tracking real-time energy consumption down to the equipment level. This will enable faster and more accurate detection of energy wastage.

The launch of the new centre, coupled with the new grant to help industrial companies digitalise the way they monitor their energy performance, are the Singapore Government's latest initiatives to meet its carbon emission targets.

Under the Paris Agreement in 2005, the Republic had pledged to reduce its emission intensity by 36 per cent by 2030.

"By international standards, Singapore is a very small emitter, but we are committed to do our full share to fight climate change," said Mr Chua, speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Energy Efficiency Conference 2019 at the Max Atria @ Singapore Expo.

The two-day event starting on Thursday will see more than 400 local and international energy efficiency professionals discussing energy management strategies.

Mr Chua added that Singapore's pledge to reduce emissions intensity depends on its ability to transform to a low-carbon and energy-efficient economy.

The new tech centre, which is supported by the National Environment Agency, will be part of continued efforts to build up the energy efficiency eco-system in Singapore, he noted.

The opening day of the conference also saw nine companies, two public sector agencies and one individual being recognised for their energy-saving efforts at the Energy Efficiency National Partnership.

The awardees included HP Singapore, ExxonMobil Singapore Chemical Plant and the Ministry of Home Affairs' Home Team Academy.

Mr Lee Kum Chin, the regional utilities manager at healthcare company Abbott, received the award in the Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year category. He helped the company save about 30 GWh of energy last year, the equivalent amount required to power more than 5,500 households in Singapore for a year.

THE STRAITS TIMES