Sembcorp solar project win from HDB, EDB makes it major player in Singapore

Sembcorp will build, own, operate and maintain grid-tied rooftop solar systems across 848 HDB blocks under the West Coast and Choa Chu Kang Town Councils and 27 other government sites in Singapore. PHOTO: SEMBCORP.COM

SINGAPORE - Sembcorp Industries Ltd's (Sembcorp) wholly owned unit, Sembcorp Solar Singapore Pte Ltd (Sembcorp Solar), has won a 50-megawatt project from the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

As the winning bidder for the project, Sembcorp will build, own, operate and maintain grid-tied rooftop solar systems with a total capacity of 50 megawatt across 848 HDB blocks under the West Coast and Choa Chu Kang Town Councils and 27 other government sites in Singapore.

This deal turns Sembcorp into a major solar player in Singapore. Sembcorp's combined solar energy portfolio in Singapore now extends to 104 megawatt of capacity situated across more than 1,500 sites in the country. This is enough to power around 27,400 four-room HDB flats in Singapore per year.

Sembcorp Solar's winning bid was put together with one of its appointed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) players, Kurihara Kogyo Co Ltd.

This project is part of the SolarNova programme, a whole-of-government effort spearheaded by the HDB and the EDB to accelerate the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems in Singapore and drive the growth of Singapore's solar industry. Construction of the rooftop solar systems by Sembcorp will begin in the third quarter, and is targeted to be completed by Q2 2020.

Sembcorp's head of Singapore, South-east Asia & China (Energy) Koh Chiap Khiong said: "With the full implementation of the open electricity market in the country later this year, we look forward to making a difference to households and businesses not only with value-for-money power packages, but also by delivering more sustainable electricity to them."

Sembcorp's move to grow solar is in line with its recently set Climate Change Strategy as a group. It has set ambitious targets to double its renewables portfolio to around 4,000 megawatt by 2022.

At present, Sembcorp has over 2,500 megawatt of renewable energy assets, comprising wind and solar power projects across Singapore, China and India.

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