SINGAPORE - New industrial facilities will have to meet minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) in their water-cooled chilled water systems from Dec 1, 2020, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) said in a statement on Thursday (Dec 26).
The requirement applies to new industrial facilities that apply for planning approval on or after Dec 1, 2020.
Meanwhile, existing energy-intensive industrial facilities regulated under the Energy Conservation Act (ECA) must conform to the new standards by Dec 1, 2025, while those in other industrial facilities must conform by Dec 1, 2029.
The new standards will "reduce energy consumption in industrial facilities by at least 245 gigawatt hours annually, equivalent to taking more than 21,000 cars off the road," NEA said in its statement.
The introduction of the MEES comes after data submitted by energy-intensive industrial facilities regulated under the ECA revealed that chilled water systems for process and space cooling accounted for about 16 per cent of the electricity consumed, making them the second-highest electricity-consuming system in the industry.
Furthermore, over 70 per cent of these systems were operating at sub-optimal efficiency performance, and these systems are also the predominant type of chilled water system in these facilities, and account for more than 90 per cent of the electricity consumed by chilled water systems.
NEA said that companies may use different approaches to meet MEES, such as installing more energy efficient chillers and optimising their systems.
Grants are available to help companies upgrade their water-cooled chilled water systems before the mandatory requirements kick in.
Industrial companies can contact NEA for more information about these grants.
The MEES for water-cooled chilled water systems was first announced by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in November.
It was then reported that the MEES will also save companies about $37 million in energy costs a year by 2025.
The latest move comes as NEA's latest effort to improve energy efficiency in Singapore industry following the Republic's pledge under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, as well as stabilise greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030.
NEA will review the system operating performance and other key performance data of the chilled water systems of companies every year.
The agency may also conduct on-site checks of the accuracy of the measurement and verification system installed by companies. It is also exploring the feasibility of extending MEES to other industrial systems and equipment.
