With mounting evidence of climate change and persistently high energy prices, there is an urgent need for industry players to better manage their energy use and reduce carbon emissions. Against this backdrop, companies are closely scrutinising not only their own sustainability initiatives, but also those of their partners and customers across value chains.

As the largest contributor to Singapore’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the industrial sector will play a key role in helping the country achieve its net-zero emissions target. By taking decisive action towards decarbonisation and energy efficiency, businesses can gain an early competitive advantage in a decarbonised economy.

Themed “Towards Net Zero and Stewardship in Industrial Energy Efficiency”, this year’s National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) will share knowledge and best practices to help local enterprises with their low-carbon transition. Participants will be able to gain relevant insights into how companies are transforming energy efficiency challenges into lucrative opportunities for energy and cost savings.

The NEEC is a key highlight of the Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) programme, a collaborative effort led by the National Environment Agency (NEA) that aims to cultivate thought leadership in energy efficiency. The EENP is a voluntary partnership programme for companies which wish to be more energy efficient, and to enhance their long-term business competitiveness.

The initiative brings together seasoned energy efficiency experts and industry players to exchange knowledge, and showcases successful case studies through the NEEC as well as technical workshops and share-and-learn sessions. Launched in 2010, the EENP programme has grown from 49 founding partners to a network of 387 partners.

Recognising energy champions

The EENP also seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the organisations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary performance in energy efficiency through the EENP Awards. The awards aim to encourage and inspire companies to be more active in their energy management by sharing best practices in the area of energy efficiency.

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There are five categories for the EENP Awards 2023:

• Excellence in Energy, Greenhouse Gas Management;

• Best Practices;

• Outstanding Energy, Greenhouse Gas Manager;

• Outstanding Energy Services Provider; and

• Outstanding Small and Medium Enterprise (SME).

This year’s EENP Awards have broadened their scope to include GHG management alongside significant energy efficiency improvement measures. It reflects a holistic approach to sustainability that is in tune with the global shift towards a low-carbon economy. The awards will be given out on the opening day of the NEEC on Oct 4, 2023, by guest of honour Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor.

A total of 18 businesses are honoured across the five categories. Notably, the Excellence in Energy, Greenhouse Gas Management category saw six award recipients – five winners and one honourable mention. This is the highest number of accolades in this category since the inception of the EENP Awards in 2011.

The Outstanding SME award category this year saw the highest number of recipients with three honourees. This uptick symbolises a growing attention to sustainability among SMEs, and acknowledges their pivotal role in a collective journey towards energy efficiency.

Support for the low-carbon transition

Businesses seeking to accelerate their journey towards energy efficiency can tap on a number of government incentives and grants. These include the Economic Development Board’s Resource Efficiency Grant for Emissions, NEA’s Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F) as well as Enterprise Singapore’s Enterprise Development Grant and Enterprise Sustainability Programme.

In a significant update, the government unveiled a set of enhancements to the E2F grant earlier this year. Effective from Apr 1, 2023, the E2F now provides a fixed 70 per cent support for pre-approved energy-efficient technologies. These technologies include replacing non-LED lighting with LEDs, and compressed air systems with air blowers.

Furthermore, the measurement and verification (M&V) requirements to be eligible for the grant have been simplified to expedite the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. M&V refers to the process of planning, measuring, collecting and analysing data to verify and report energy savings arising from projects.

For projects involving pre-approved compressed air and boiler systems, NEA will accept a simpler third-party assessment for such projects with grant amounts exceeding $50,000, while the M&V requirement will be waived altogether for smaller projects with grant amounts of $50,000 and below.

NEA will also provide 70 per cent support for the third-party assessment service offered by energy services companies. Alternatively, E2F applicants can tap on the low-cost energy assessment services offered by the Energy Efficiency Technology Centre, a collaboration between NEA and the Singapore Institute of Technology since 2020.

This year’s NEEC and the evolving scope of the EENP Awards signal a collective, industry-led ambition for a sustainable future. They act as powerful catalysts for the business sector, from large industries to SMEs, to step up and contribute meaningfully to Singapore’s sustainability goals.

The suite of government incentives further facilitates this transformative journey, making the road to net zero not just an environmental necessity, but also an economic opportunity. The industry has the tools, guidance and financial support. Now, the onus is on decisive action.

Energy Efficiency National Partnership Awards 2023 Winners

The two-day National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) 2023 starting on Oct 4 is organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), supported by the Economic Development Board (EDB), Energy Market Authority (EMA), Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS), and will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

This year’s instalment of the NEEC marks a return to a physical venue, after the last conference in 2021 was conducted virtually due to the pandemic. The conference will feature keynote speeches and panel sessions on topics such as the industrial decarbonisation pathways and fostering stewardship in energy management.

One key highlight of the conference are the Energy Efficiency National Partnership Awards, which recognise companies and individuals for their efforts and achievements in improving energy efficiency. The winners and honourable mentions from this year’s awards are:

Excellence in Energy, Greenhouse Gas Management

This award recognises companies that have demonstrated a high level of commitment to excellence in energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) (if applicable) management.

The award recipients under this category are:

• Abbott

• Alcon Singapore Manufacturing

• Chevron Oronite

• Reckitt (Mead Johnson Nutrition (Asia Pacific))

• Shell Singapore

Under this category, one other company received the Excellence in Energy, Greenhouse Gas Management (Honourable Mention) Award:

• ST Engineering (Commercial and Defence Aerospace)

Outstanding Small and Medium Enterprise

This award recognises small and medium-sized enterprises (in manufacturing or industrial business activities) that have demonstrated a high level of commitment to energy and GHG (if applicable) management.

The award recipients under this category are:

• Onn Wah Precision Engineering

• PLC Industries

Under this category, one other company received the Outstanding SME (Honourable Mention) Award:

• Progress Galvanizing

Outstanding Energy, Greenhouse Gas Manager

This award recognises outstanding energy and GHG managers who have demonstrated leadership in driving energy efficiency improvement and decarbonisation within their organisation.

The Honourable Mentions are:

• Narasimhan Jeyakumar, SPH Jurong Property

• Steven Toh, 3M Innovation (Singapore)

• Seah Xian Ming, Singapore Refining Company

Outstanding Energy Services Provider

The award recognises companies whose services to their clients have led to outstanding improvement in energy performance and other non-energy benefits, and contribute to the development of the energy efficiency industry. The award recipient is:

• G-Energy Global

Best Practices

This award recognises energy efficiency improvement and carbon abatement (if applicable) projects which adopt best practices to improve the energy performance of facilities and thus, reduce carbon emissions.

The award recipient under this category is:

• Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company

Under this category, four other companies also received the Best Practices (Honourable Mention) Award:

• Alcon Singapore Manufacturing

• ExxonMobil

• PCS

• Shell Singapore