The brainchild of Tuas Power Ltd and Gas Supply Pte Ltd seeks to deliver cleaner and more efficient power usage.

The air in and around Singapore would soon be much cleaner, thanks to the efforts made by TPGS Green Energy Pte Ltd (TPGS). This joint venture company, a collaboration between Tuas Power Ltd and Gas Supply Pte Ltd, was incorporated in August 2006 to promote environment-friendly cogeneration and trigeneration technologies in Singapore.

Trigeneration - how it works

Trigeneration technology refers to the production of three types of utilities - electricity, steam and chilled water - from a single integrated system. The single standout advantage of this system is that while conventional systems of energy conversion results in part of the energy being lost as heat, the new system allows for the 'lost heat' to be harnessed and generated into steam in the process. The steam, in turn, is channelled for process use and to steam absorption chillers to produce chilled water. Thus, trigeneration technology would result in enhanced energy efficiency, as up to 20 per cent less fuel is used to generate the same amount of energy.

And TPGS has risen to the environmental and energy utilisation challenge by being the first in Singapore to build and manage a 5MW trigeneration facility following its tie-up with Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd to supplement the utility needs of Pfizer's existing plant in Tuas Biomedical Park. The facility is slated for completion end 2007.

"Over the next three years, Pfizer is committed to increasing the percentage of our electricity generated using 'clean energy' and the implementation of this project fully supports that goal," says Dr Terence Lambe, Area Vice President Ireland/Singapore, Pfizer Global Manufacturing.

Efficient energy, cleaner air

They have certainly taken up the gauntlet thrown down by the National Climate Change Committee headed by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources. The committee's main aim in coming together is to recommend policies to improve energy efficiency measures in Singapore. This is to better cope with the issue of climate change in an environmentally and economically sustainable way, a pressing issue in this era of rapid energy consumption and global environmental degradation.

Dr Khor was the first to laud this tie-up in her speech made during the ground-breaking ceremony of the trigeneration facility on 7 November 2006.

"With trigeneration technology, we are poised to move to another level in energy efficient improvements. I would like to commend all partners in this project, for their vision and collaborative efforts in bringing the project to an excellent start," says Dr Khor.

As a spin-off of the trigeneration system, this integrated facility would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 17 per cent, thus fulfilling the company's aim to produce eco-friendly energy sources.

"While trigeneration is a whole new concept in Singapore, it has proved successful in many countries. We are confident that this will pave the way for more extensive adoption of this energy-saving and environment-friendly technology by many other businesses across the major industries," says Lim Kong Puay, President and CEO, Tuas Power Ltd.

The management team at TPGS anticipates that the demand for more of such facilities to produce eco-friendly energy would be on the up in the near future. Even though the collaboration with Pfizer is, to date, the only deal sealed by the company, Lim hints at more such business tie-ups in the pipeline without revealing the exact details. "With anticipated strong interests generated among businesses, we forsee exciting times ahead for trigeneration technology in Singapore," says Lim. Cleaner air in Singapore might not be too much of a stretch of the imagination after all, if companies like TPGS have their way.