Latest in a series of sustainable initiatives by PUB to manage energy needs and meet growing water demand
 

Singapore, 6 April 2023 – National Water Agency PUB today announced a partnership with SP Group (SP) to participate in the Energy Market Authority (EMA)’s Demand Response (DR) and Interruptible Load (IL) programmes1 , making it the first government agency to do so. As a participant, PUB commits to voluntarily reduce its energy use or temporarily shift electricity usage during periods of peak usage, or when supply from renewable energy sources is intermittent. This will help balance electricity demand and supply on the national power grid at critical times, while facilitating the integration of more renewables.

1. Mr Goh Si Hou, Chief Executive, PUB, said: “As Singapore’s national water agency, sustainability has been central to our mission. PUB is actively leveraging technological innovation and process redesign to raise the energy efficiency of our operations. We are improving treatment processes to reduce energy intake and enhance energy recovery, while drawing on renewable energy by deploying floating solar farms on our reservoirs. This is especially important as we will increasingly tap on energy-intensive sources like NEWater and desalination to meet future growth in water demand.”
2.  “Coming onboard the Demand Response and Interruptible Load programmes is thus in line with our sustainability efforts. It will provide PUB with greater flexibility in managing energy demand, and allow us to achieve cost savings. At the same time, our participation will support the national effort for energy resilience, and bring system-level benefits to all users.”
3. PUB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SP on 5 April 2023. Under the MOU, SP will act as the DR aggregator and onboard PUB’s identified electricity load operations onto its system and participate in both the DR/IL programmes on its behalf. An electricity load curtailment is required to balance the national grid when energy demand is at its peak or when electricity supply dips. When that happens, SP will combine loads from its Marina Bay district cooling ice thermal energy storage systems and its partners and make them available for demand response reduction or interruption, thus acting as an intermediary for partners including PUB. SP will also provide PUB with regular market reports, share technical know-how and work with PUB in meeting load curtailment targets.
4. For a start, PUB has identified the Marina Raw Water Pumping Station, located at Kallang Basin, to be the contributing facility for both programmes. The pumping station is used to transfer raw water from Marina Reservoir to Upper Peirce Reservoir and has flexibility to adjust non-time critical operations when required to manage or reduce electricity usage.
5. Mr Stanley Huang, Group CEO, SP Group, said: “SP Group is well positioned to be Singapore’s biggest DR aggregator, building on our experience in electricity load curtailment through our district cooling operations and now, bringing onboard industry partners like PUB. This unlocks the potential of DR in electricity-intensive facilities here, paving the way for more collaborations that will strengthen the resilience of the nation’s grid through sustainable energy initiatives.”
6. Mr Ngiam Shih Chun, Chief Executive of EMA, said: “We welcome the PUB-SP Group collaboration and their participation in our Demand Response and Interruptible Load programmes. As we transform our energy sector to be more sustainable, it is also important that consumers are empowered to optimise and reduce their electricity consumption, in exchange for a share of the system-wide benefits. We encourage more consumers to come onboard the programmes and enjoy these benefits.”
7. EMA and SP had earlier announced a pilot ice thermal Energy Storage System (ESS) at the George Street substation which will be operational in 2026. The total load SP Group 2 Kallang Sector, Singapore 349277, Tel: +65 6916 8888, www.spgroup.com.sg curtailment capacity from PUB and George Street substation operations, together with SP’s ice thermal ESS that supports the world’s largest underground district cooling operations at Marina Bay, is equivalent to the daily energy consumption of 10,000 four-room HDB flats.
8. SP has been an active participant in the IL and DR programmes since 2016, with the capability to facilitate electricity load curtailment for partners like PUB when required.

About PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency
PUB is a statutory board under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE). It is the national water agency, which manages Singapore’s water supply, water catchment, and used water in an integrated way. From April 2020, PUB also took on the responsibility of protecting Singapore’s coastline from sea-level rise as the national coastal protection agency.

PUB has ensured a diversified and sustainable supply of water for Singapore with the Four National Taps (local catchment water, imported water, NEWater, desalinated water). PUB leads and coordinates whole-of-government efforts to protect Singapore from the threat of rising seas and the holistic management of inland and coastal flood risks.

PUB calls on everyone to play a part in conserving water, in keeping our waterways clean, and in caring for Singapore’s precious water resources. If we all do our little bit, there will be enough water for all our needs – for commerce and industry, for living, for life.

Find out more about us:
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and https://www.tiktok.com/@pub.singapore
Subscribe to our channel at www.youtube.com/sgPUB
Visit our website at www.pub.gov.sg

Editor’s Note: Please use PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency or National water agency PUB in your report, and the acronym PUB subsequently after the first mention.

About SP Group
SP Group is a leading utilities group in the Asia Pacific, empowering the future of energy with low-carbon, smart energy solutions for its customers. It owns and operates electricity and gas transmission and distribution businesses in Singapore and Australia, as well as sustainable energy solutions in Singapore, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

As Singapore’s national grid operator, about 1.6 million industrial, commercial and residential customers benefit from its world-class transmission, distribution and market support services. These networks are amongst the most reliable and cost-effective worldwide.

Beyond traditional utilities services, SP Group provides a suite of sustainable and renewable energy solutions such as microgrids, cooling and heating systems for business districts and residential townships, solar energy solutions, electric vehicle fast-charging stations and digital energy solutions for customers in Singapore and the region.

For more information, please visit spgroup.com.sg or follow us on Facebook at spgrp.sg/facebook, LinkedIn at spgrp.sg/linkedin and Instagram at spgrp.sg/instagram.