KEY FINDINGS FROM THE FEASIBILITY STUDY
On Thursday, Temasek and SP also released a white paper that consolidated key findings from the feasibility study that started last year on the 14 Tampines buildings.
The report outlined the economic and environmental benefits of having district cooling systems in existing developments as well as the challenges in setting them up.
Among the findings, the study found that implementing such a system could lead to a 17 per cent reduction in energy consumption and significant cost savings.
It estimated that S$4.3 million can be saved annually due to lower energy consumption, reduction in equipment replacement and maintenance costs, as well as potential earnings from freeing up chiller plant space which can be converted into retail or office space.
Reductions in energy usage and the amount of refrigerant used to cool buildings can also result in an 18 per cent cut in carbon emissions.
However, rolling out such a system in an area that has already been developed is not without challenges.
The district cooling system provider will have to navigate the existing built environment and may face several constraints such as having to minimise disruptions to existing operations in order to implement the system.
Given these challenges, Temasek and SP said the white paper can serve as a “useful blueprint” for other districts looking to reduce their energy consumption from cooling, as Singapore looks for solutions to address the climate emergency, they said.
Providers can also work with the building owners to optimise and incorporate district cooling considerations right from the design stage of the projects.
WHAT’S NEXT?
SP said it will work closely with the building owners to factor in their considerations in the commercial terms of the supply agreement.
During the installation and retrofitting period, the group said it will also engage relevant government agencies on ways to lay the chilled water pipes in order to optimise resources while minimising inconvenience to the public.
Meanwhile, discussions with the other building owners who supported the study are continuing, Temasek and SP said.
Both parties will work together to launch the first phase of the network in Tampines.
If the distributed district cooling network is installed in Tampines central, SP said it could also be extended to nearby HDB blocks in future.
The group added, however, that it is important to ensure that the base operations are stable before looking into the possibility of extending the network into residential areas.
Opportunities to scale brownfield district cooling systems in other parts of Singapore will also be explored.
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