Singapore Senoko Power joins UN green network initiative

Business Times 14 Apr 08;

SINGAPORE generating company Senoko Power is one of only five corporations worldwide among the founders of a new UN initiative.

The Carbon Neutral Network is a web-based information exchange for entities that want to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to zero. And Senoko is carrying the Singapore flag.

The network, launched at an environment ministers' meeting in Monaco in February this year, counts just four countries and a handful of cities and companies as members so far. The countries are Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway.

The network also counts four cities as founding members. They are Arendal, a seaside town in Norway; Rizhao, a port city in China; Vancouver in Canada; and Vaxjo, a university town in Sweden. 'We joined the network because Senoko is a genuine triple-bottomline company concerned not only with our economic performance but also our impact on the environment and society', a Senoko spokesman said. He said neither Senoko nor other network members are required to commit themselves to emission reductions. However, over the years Senoko has voluntarily taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint 'out of a moral obligation to the Earth'. For example, it re-powered three oil-fired steam plants as gas-fired combined cycle plants that are more efficient and have higher generation capacity.