The bar has been set for Singapore’s industrial energy use with the nation’s first inaugural awards for energy efficiency within the industrial sector.
Six of Singapore’s industrial giants were awarded for their energy management programmes and energy efficiency projects at a ceremony held Tuesday night at Singapore’s Suntec Convention Centre.
Receiving awards for Excellence in Energy Management were pharmaceutical giants Pfizer Asia Pacific and Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing. The companies have in common dedicated energy management staff to monitor and track energy usage, as well as working company-wide with employees on ways of improving energy efficiency.
Christopher Dobson, site director for Glaxo Wellcome, said the company’s energy management programme, comprising nearly 300 projects, has saved more than S$12.5million in energy costs since inception.
Five Best Practices awards were presented to companies that undertook projects to improve the efficiency of their facilities. Those companies were: the privately-held Singaporean commercial real estate developer Ascendas Land; Singapore-listed real estate developer City Developments Limited; Eastman Chemicals Singapore, a subsidiary of the New York-listed chemical manufacturer Eastman Chemicals Company; the Singapore biotechnology subsidiary of international medical supply company MSD International; and Pfizer Asia Pacific.
City Developments Limited, which last week became the first company to receive the Singapore Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA’s) Green Mark Platinum Champion Award for its sustained ‘green building’ efforts, said of its award-winning project, “The installation of energy efficient equipment…is in line with CDL’s efforts (towards) environmentally-friendly practices in our operations. (It is) part of our continued commitment towards corporate social responsibility as Singapore’s leading green developer.”
The winning project involved retrofitting the chiller system at its New Tech Park high-technology industrial park located at Lorong Chuan. According to the company, the upgraded system provides energy savings of 2,492,087 kilowatt hours each year and reduces annual carbon emissions by about 1,179 tonnes per year.
An Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year award, the only award given to an individual, was presented to Yeo Yee Pang, the engineering manager at Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing. For 11 years, Mr Yeo has been part of the team credited with the successes described by Glaxo Wellcome’s Mr Dobson. The company’s energy manager has a sophisticated monitoring and targeting system to identify potential areas for improvement, said Mr Dobson. “Combine this with excellent support from the site leadership team and engagement of all employees in energy saving as a priority, and you have the secret of our success,” he added.
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received special commendation in the public sector category for its commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its buildings. MOM has retrofitted it Havelock Road building with green building features such as energy efficient air-conditioning, light sensors and energy efficient lift mechanisms. The Havelock Road building, along with MOM’s new building at Bendemeer Road, have both been awarded a Green Mark Platinum rating from BCA.
Jointly organised by the National Energy Agency (NEA), the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the awards are part of Singapore’s National Energy Efficiency Partnership (EENP) initiative. The ceremony was the culmination of National Energy Efficiency Conference 2011, a two-day event for industry experts to share and compare energy management strategies.
The EENP programme was developed last year in response to Singapore’s 2009 Sustainable Development Blueprint goal of reaching a 35 per cent reduction in its energy intensity, or energy expended per unit of GDP, from 2005 levels by 2030.
To address the role of industry, which consumes nearly 60 per cent of Singapore’s power, in energy efficiency, the government will implement the Energy Conservation Act in 2013. The legislation will require industries using large amounts of energy to employ energy managers to measure energy use and develop plans for improving energy efficiency.
Tuesday’s awards acknowledged the efforts of those companies that are setting a precedent for good energy management well ahead of the deadline.
NEA chief executive Andrew Tan said, “Through EENP and the EENP Awards, we are providing companies with a key platform to exchange their expertise and best practices, while recognising those who have achieved high standards in energy efficiency.”
