NEA to set energy-efficiency standards for industrial chilled water

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will set minimum energy-efficiency standards for chilled water systems in industrial facilities here from next year, a move that will cut about 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli yesterday noted that currently, about 70 per cent of such systems here are not optimised.

He said Singapore's industrial energy-efficiency standard needs to be improved so that it is on a par with leading countries.

The initiative will introduce baseline standards to help companies reduce their energy consumption by about 245 gigawatt hours.

The amount of carbon emissions reduced will be the equivalent of taking more than 21,000 cars off the road, and will also save the companies about $37 million in energy costs a year by 2025, said Mr Masagos, who was speaking at a lunch event to mark the conclusion of the Year Towards Zero Waste, which began in January.

In his speech at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Mr Masagos highlighted a number of initiatives that Singapore had taken to work towards achieving its waste reduction targets.

For instance, NEA and Fraser & Neave Foods, supported by FairPrice, last month launched a programme to place 50 smart reverse vending machines (RVMs) across Singapore by March next year.

Following the introduction of the first 10 RVMs, around 1,000 plastic drink bottles and aluminium drink cans were collected from each machine daily, said Mr Masagos, who described it as an "overwhelmingly positive" response.

He also noted that more than 670,000 people this year have been engaged in Zero Waste initiatives by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and its partners.

Such initiatives included the creation of the first citizens' workgroup on recycling right, which was convened in September. More than 300 people applied to join the workgroup, and 50 were selected.

Mr Masagos said that the Towards Zero Waste Grant, set up this year, has so far supported 270 ground-up initiatives that drive waste reduction and recycling. They include youth interest group Project bECOme's Bread Without Bags initiative, which encourages customers to take along their own reusable containers and bags to buy bread.

And although the Year Towards Zero Waste has concluded, the fight against climate change has not. Mr Masagos said that next year's focus would be on Singapore's food, in line with the need to produce 30 per cent of Singapore's nutritional needs locally by 2030.

He said: "Singapore's DNA has always been to resolutely face the challenges... I am confident we can turn any challenge, including the climate challenge, into new opportunities, and ensure the continued happiness and prosperity of our future generations."