Singapore on track to reducing carbon footprint below targeted 2020 levels: Iswaran

Channel NewsAsia 13 Mar 13;

SINGAPORE: Singapore is on track to meeting its unconditional pledge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by seven to 11 per cent below targeted 2020 levels. This is according to Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Iswaran said there are measures in place to reduce the carbon footprint of Singapore's industries.

These include tax incentives and third-party financing schemes which encourage private financing of energy-efficient projects.

But while the use of fuel oil and natural gas are less polluting energy options used by industries, the Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex located on Jurong Island uses a mix of clean coal and biomass to produce steam and electricity for chemical companies.

Mr Iswaran said: "Clean coal is a significantly cheaper fuel option compared to fuel oil and natural gas, and the use of coal is expected to reduce steam prices by at least 10 per cent for customers of TMUC.

"To strike a balance with environmental concerns, only the use of low ash and low sulphur coal has been permitted, and biomass is mixed with coal to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to below that of an equivalent fuel oil plant.

"The co-generation process employed by TMUC is also more efficient than the separate production of steam and power through boilers and combined cycle gas turbines.

"In addition, measures have been put in place by our environmental agencies to ensure that the TMUC meets environmental standards as stipulated under the Environmental Protection and Management Act and its regulations. TMUC is held to stringent requirements for pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and mercury. The company is also required to transport coal via covered transportation systems to prevent fugitive dust emissions, and recycle ash as construction material."

-CNA/ac