18 Apr 2022
On 18 April 2022, Frasers Property Retail participated in a supply signing ceremony, witnessed by Minister Masagos Zulkifli, for the Tampines Distributed District Cooling network. (Photo credit: SP Group)
This month, Frasers Property Retail marked a new milestone in our journey to becoming a net-zero carbon corporation by 2050. Since August 2020, we have worked with SP Group and Temasek Group on a feasibility study to explore a Distributed District Cooling (DDC) network in Tampines, as part of our efforts to contribute positively to sustainability, and tackle climate change. Since then, Frasers Property Retail has signed the Letter of Intent (LOI) in August 2021 to affirm our interest for Century Square and Tampines 1 to be part of the DDC.
On 18 April 2022, a supply agreement signing ceremony was held, with Minister Masagos Zulkifli witnessing the ceremony. With this, Century Square and Tampines 1 will be part of the first batch of buildings to form Singapore’s first brownfield DDC network which is expected to be completed and operational by the first half of 2025.
Frasers Property Retail’s role in the DDC Network
This DDC is a first of its kind brownfield cooling solution, which involves centralising cooling plants that distribute chilled water to various buildings through an underground network of insulated pipes to provide air conditioning. This results in significant savings in energy from cooling buildings, while reducing carbon emissions. The project has potential impact across the whole Tampines precinct and is a significant step in transforming Tampines into an Eco Town by 2025.
Key injection nodes are crucial in supplying chilled water to the surrounding buildings in the district though a series of underground chilled water pipes. (Photo credit: SP Group)
Two malls of Frasers Property, Tampines 1 and Century Square will form two of the three key injection nodes in the Tampines DDC network, a crucial part of the entire ecosystem. Buildings that are selected as injection nodes have well-maintained equipment and excess chiller capacity, allowing them to supply chilled water to cool other buildings in the network. Tampines 1 and Century Square were selected as two of three injection nodes, due to their existing sustainable and energy efficient structures, and will produce chilled water for their own cooling needs and that of the surrounding buildings within the district.
Low Chee Wah, Chief Executive Officer, Frasers Property Retail said, “As we move towards being a net-zero carbon corporation by 2050, sustainability is a key business priority for Frasers Property. Being one of the leading suburban mall owners in Singapore, we have a responsibility to build a sustainable environment as buildings are large emitter of carbon. The Tampines DDC project is a ground-breaking initiative which holds significant potential and positive impact for Singapore, and is one of our strategic partnerships with like-minded corporations to support and ensure a sustainable built environment. We are glad to be able to contribute to this project with Tampines One and Century Square serving as two out of the three injection nodes to produce and supply chilled water to the precinct, and look forward to seeing the township reap the benefits of this plan. In time, we hope that the success of this DDC network will attract the participation of other building owners and industry players, to contribute to the ever-important goal of promoting sustainable living and achieving a greener future for all.”
What’s next?
According to a white paper published by Temasek and SP Group, the DDC network comprising 14 buildings is projected to reduce energy consumption by 17%, and carbon emissions by 18%. In terms of cost savings, the long-term economic savings from electrical bills, carbon tax, and other costs will total S$130 million over 30 years, or S$4.3 million a year. In addition to the significant environmental benefits, this would also benefit building owners by reducing costs and increasing efficiency, all while creating a more sustainable living environment for residents in the Tampines precinct.
Looking beyond this project to future applications, we hope that the rest of our malls can be part of similar projects as it rolls out to other neighbourhoods, contributing to a cooler and greener Singapore. We are excited to be a part of this ground-breaking project, and to continue on our journey towards net-zero carbon.