Singapore and UK collaborate in $17m initiative to help SMEs improve energy efficiency

Expect at least 10% savings in energy costs.

The Carbon Trust and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) today announced that they will be working together to help SMEs in Singapore to improve their energy efficiency.

The announcement of the collaboration is being made at Kew Gardens in London as part of the official state visit to the UK of Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of the Republic of Singapore.

According to a press release by Carbon Trust, the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) is leading a S$17 million SME Energy Efficiency initiative, with support from SPRING Singapore, National Environment Agency (NEA) and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). The goal is to help some 300 SMEs achieve at least 10 per cent savings in energy costs over the next three years.

The Carbon Trust will collaborate with SEAS as part of this initiative, making use of its experience of providing advice and support to tens of thousands of businesses and public sector organisations around the world, including 15,000 SMEs in the UK.

As a small-island city-state, Singapore relies on energy imports and has limited access to clean alternative energies. Energy efficiency is therefore central to Singapore’s strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the added benefit of strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of its economy. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, Singapore aims to achieve a 35% improvement in energy efficiency from 2005 levels by 2030.