Singapore Energy Group builds Singapore's largest industrial cooling system for STMicroelectronics

Singapore Energy Group builds Singapore's largest industrial cooling system for STMicroelectronics

•Designed and installed by Singapore Power, the industrial district cooling system has a cooling capacity of 36,000 tonnes, making it the largest industrial district cooling system in Singapore.

•This move will bring a number of benefits, including saving 20% ​​in cooling-related electricity consumption and reducing carbon emissions by up to 120,000 tons per year

•The project will last for 20 years and is valued at US$370 million.

On May 23, 2022, China --- STMicroelectronics (ST), a world-leading semiconductor company serving multiple electronic applications, and SP Group, a leading utility group in the Asia-Pacific region and operator of Singapore's national grid, announced the signing of a cooperation agreement , whereby the latter will build a district cooling system (DCS) for STMicroelectronics' AMK TechnoPark in Singapore. The project is valued at US$370 million, with a service period of 20 years, and is scheduled to be officially put into use in 2025. By then, it will become Singapore's largest industrial project district cooling system.

According to the agreement, Singapore Power Group will design, build, own and operate the district cooling system and provide chilled water services to meet the cooling needs of STMicroelectronics' production workshops and office spaces. The system has a cooling capacity of up to 36,000 refrigeration tons (RT). By improving the energy efficiency of the cooling system, it can help STMicroelectronics save 20% of cooling-related electricity consumption each year, and reduce carbon emissions by up to 120,000 tons per year for STMicroelectronics' Singapore Technopark factory, which is equivalent to removing 109,090 cars from the road. There are two ways to achieve carbon reduction in this project. One is to reduce cooling-related electricity consumption, and the other is to reuse more than 4,000 square meters of space in the original cooling equipment room when the cooling system is officially operational, and better help achieve decarbonization by installing solar energy and perfluorinated compound (PFC) emission reduction equipment.

Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth of Singapore, attended the signing ceremony as a special guest.

“The private sector has an important role to play alongside public and people power in advancing Singapore’s climate and sustainability goals. By taking sustainable actions, such as improving energy efficiency, businesses send a strong signal to their partners and customers that sustainability issues are urgent and serious action is needed. At the same time, businesses can use sustainability as a competitive advantage,” she said.

She further added: “I hope this initiative will inspire more innovative carbon reduction solutions in other industrial developments and motivate more companies to pursue opportunities in sustainability.”

The cooling system will be the first district cooling system implemented by STMicroelectronics in its global production facilities. STMicroelectronics has committed to achieving carbon neutrality worldwide by 2027. The use of district cooling in STMicroelectronics' largest wafer fab by volume is a key enabler for meeting the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) required by Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) and a key factor in achieving ST's sustainability goals.

Rajita D'Souza, President of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility at STMicroelectronics, said: "The Singapore factory cooling system will be the first district cooling system deployed in ST's global production facilities, and it is our commitment to ST's global carbon neutrality goal by 2027. The district cooling system used in our largest single wafer processing plant (by output) will reduce carbon emissions by 120,000 tons, which is equivalent to 30% of STMicroelectronics' total carbon emissions in Singapore in 2021. The deployment of this district cooling system will be a key driver of the plant and the company's sustainability goals."

“ District cooling is a key sustainable energy solution that can support a low-carbon future for cities, townships, and industrial parks , ” said Mr. Wee Thian Guan, Group President of Singapore Power. “ To help decarbonize Singapore’s industrial sector, we have tailored this solution to support energy-intensive manufacturing projects like ST’s TechnoPark, as they build on their sustainability strategy to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. With our comprehensive suite of sustainable energy solutions, including solar and EV charging, we look forward to working with ST to help them achieve their net-zero goal.”

Notes to Editors:

In Singapore, district cooling is gaining industry attention as an innovative solution to redesign building internal cooling systems to make them more sustainable while reducing carbon footprint. The solution centrally produces chilled water and then distributes it through pipes to district buildings to cool air conditioning systems and process flows. District cooling has four major benefits: improved energy efficiency, reduced cooling costs, freed up building space for commercial use, and reduced carbon emissions.