Cleantech SMEs get S$2.5m boost from JTC, SPRING Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 28 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: Six local clean technology (cleantech) SMEs will receive a total of S$2.5 million in funding from JTC Corporation and SPRING Singapore to test-bed their new sustainable technologies and solutions.

The selected companies will also have a head-start to carry out test-bedding projects at JTC's developments and facilities.

In a media released issued on Wednesday (Jan 28), JTC and SPRING said that six projects were selected out of 14 proposals submitted as part of the first JTC-SPRING Joint Grant Call for Test-bedding of Sustainable Solutions.

The selected projects include a decentralised wastewater recycling system that treats grey, brown and black water for non-potable uses, and thin, flexible organic solar films on building facades under tropical climate conditions, among others.

The six companies are: Omega Solar, Ecosoftt, HVS Engineering, vTrium Energy, Transkinect and Sun Electric.

Four out of the six projects will also be test-bedded in CleanTech Park, bringing the total number of technologies being test-bedded at the park to 20. Mr Leow Thiam Seng, director of JTC's Aerospace, Marine & CleanTech Cluster, said: “The test-bedding projects not only allow JTC to try out new innovative solutions, but also enable SMEs to implement their technologies in a real-world environment and help them build a track record to go to market."

Mr Ho Chi Bao, director of the manufacturing and engineering division at SPRING Singapore, said that he hopes that more local SMEs will explore business opportunities in the cleantech industry.

“SPRING sees the JTC-SPRING Joint Grant Call as a promising platform to help them test-bed innovative solutions. These companies will get to validate their technologies in a commercial site with real-world conditions. This partnership would form a strong project reference for the companies and act as a stepping stone as they grow their customer base and expand overseas,” he said.

- CNA/ac

Remanufacturing, cleantech offer opportunities for Singapore firms: Iswaran
Channel NewsAsia 28 jan 15;

SINGAPORE: The Government will continue to invest in research and development (R&D) capabilities and infrastructure to support high value-added industries and ensure that Singapore remains a competitive and attractive base for companies, Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said on Wednesday (Jan 28).

Speaking at the opening of the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) and the JTC CleanTech Two @ CleanTech Park - the first eco-business park in Singapore - Mr Iswaran identified remanufacturing and clean technology as sectors that present promising business opportunities for Singapore companies.

He said that in a climate of rising resource costs and concerns over environmental sustainability, the use of remanufactured components is fast gaining international traction.

"The remanufacturing industry in the United States, which is currently valued at US$50 billion (S$67.6 billion) and supports 180,000 jobs, is growing fast at 15 per cent per annum," Mr Iswaran said. "Remanufacturing is also gaining prominence in Asian countries such as China, with the Chinese remanufacturing market growing from US$0.4 billion in 2010 to a projected US$8 billion in 2015.

"In view of this outlook, the Singapore Economic Development of Singapore (EDB) has identified remanufacturing as a key sector in its Future of Manufacturing initiative, which aims to make Singapore a regional hub for advanced manufacturing processes."

Remanufacturing focuses on ways to extend the usable life of products by restoring or improving on their original engineering specifications. In a climate of rising resource costs and concerns over environmental sustainability, the use of remanufactured components is fast gaining international traction.

As for clean technology (cleantech), which focuses on products and services that enable greater energy efficiency and mitigate the impact on the environment, Mr Iswaran said the global market size is expected to more than double from US$2.3 trillion in 2012 to about US$5 trillion in 2025.

Mr Iswaran said CleanTech Two and ARTC will deepen the Government's efforts to strengthen Singapore's capabilities in cleantech and remanufacturing.

CleanTech Two will offer 22,000 square metres of specially-designed laboratory and office space to support the R&D efforts of key cleantech companies.

Six of these have received JTC's and SPRING Singapore's Joint Grant Call to test-bed their technologies.

Mr Heah Soon Poh, assistant chief executive officer of JTC Corporation, said: "Another opportunity for CleanTech Park and how we are going to do it is the ability for us to use it as a living lab, as a test-bed for companies.

"I refer to the grant call that we have done together with SPRING and we have got six companies to come in to use our buildings, to use our park, to use this area for them to be able to do test-bedding."

ARTC - a collaboration between A*STAR, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and over 29 local and global industry partners, such as Rolls-Royce and Singapore Aero Engine Services (SAESL) - will be the anchor tenant of CleanTech Two.

ARTC will also create a platform for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to co-develop remanufacturing technologies alongside industry leaders.

According to Mr Iswaran, there are 12 SMEs among ARTC's partners. These include a firm called AmpTec, which is in the process of developing a dry ice blasting machine.

"This innovation will provide an alternative way to clean aircraft engine components without using polluting industrial chemicals and heavy scrubbing. This will cause less damage to the surface of the components and maintain the quality and performance of the engine," Mr Iswaran said.

ARTC will also work with NTU to develop a strong talent pipeline to support the shift towards eco-friendly production processes and techniques. To date, the centre has completed over 50 industry projects.

- CNA/ac/ms

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More enhancements to National Orchid Garden underway

MATTHIAS TAY Today Online 28 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE — The National Orchid Garden is set for its first facelift in 20 years, which will allow it to showcase a larger variety of orchids from all over the world, including rare species found in higher altitudes.

To be completed in phases by 2020, the plans were announced by Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee yesterday (Jan 28) at the opening of the World of Flowers Exhibition.

Three of the garden’s display houses will undergo changes to improve the tropical montane — high elevation — forest experience for visitors. The Cool House, for example, will be fitted with a new climate control system, allowing researchers to grow species that cannot be grown currently and double the number of orchid species showcased from the current 1,000.

In total, the enhancements are expected to cost around S$35 million. The plans for the Cool House are partially funded by a S$10 million donation from Sembcorp Industries to the Garden City Fund, the largest single donation by a corporate partner to date. The Cool House will be renamed the Sembcorp Cool House.

Donations were also made by the family of the late Lady Yuen Peng McNeice, which will go towards the enhancement of the Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection enclosure. Another donation — anonymously made — will partially fund the enhancement of Tan Hoon Siang Mist House.

Works will begin next year, and the garden will remain open throughout. Describing the improvements, Singapore Botanic Gardens director Nigel Taylor said: “The Bromeliad Collection, which represent the lowland tropics will be the first (of the) three seamless connected features, second will be the Mist House, and third, the much expanded Cool House which represents the environment of mountain tops in the tropical environment.”

The Sembcorp Cool House will have two-level access, so that visitors can get closer to orchids and plants located at higher levels. A new deck overlooking the nursery area behind the garden will also be open to visitors interested in observing the orchids’ cultivation process.

Located in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the National Orchid Garden sees an average of 500,000 visitors every year, and numbers are expected to grow with the enhancements. “We anticipate that the National Orchid Garden will be able to accommodate this increase comfortably, and that visitors will still be able to have an enjoyable experience,” said Dr Taylor.

Asked if entrance fees — currently S$5 for adults — would increase as a result of the improvements, the National Parks Board said there would not be one for the time being.

National Orchid Garden to bloom brighter after upgrade
Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 31 Jan 15;

Visitors to Singapore's one and only orchid garden will get to admire a greater variety of blooms in five years when it completes its first major upgrade since it opened 20 years ago.

The National Orchid Garden, located in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, will be spruced up to refresh its visitors' experience and showcase more orchid varieties, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced yesterday.

The enhancement will focus on four key areas in the 3ha garden: the Cool House, the Mist House, the bromeliad enclosure as well as the orchid nursery.

At the Cool House, visitors will be able to get up close and personal with more varieties of orchids, particularly those growing at higher altitudes, when a second level is built there.

Currently, the Cool House has only one level. Kept at between 16 to 20 deg C, it showcases species of plants found in elfin forests at higher elevations, such as the dancing lady and boat orchids.

The bromeliad enclosure, which features plant species grown in the lowlands, and the sub-mountainous Mist House will have improved ventilation, misting and irrigation systems that are more energy efficient.

The three areas will also form a tropical orchidetum showcasing a diversity of orchids and other plants from the habitats at different elevations.

"Visitors will be able to enjoy a seamless experience akin to ascending a tropical montane forest as they make their way through the orchidetum," NParks said.

When the upgrade is fully completed by 2020, visitors can also get a glimpse of the orchid nursery from a viewing deck.

The nursery, where the plants are cultivated for display, was previously not open to the public.

The orchid garden will remain open to the public during the $35 million upgrade, which will be done in stages.

Of that sum, $10 million was donated by Sembcorp Industries to partially fund the enhancements to the Cool House, which will be renamed the Sembcorp Cool House.

Thanking Sembcorp, NParks chief executive Kenneth Er said: "The contribution will go towards creating an environment for researchers to grow and bring orchids to flower that are naturally found at higher elevations.

"This, in turn, will create a refreshing educational experience for visitors to learn more about these orchids and their environments."

During yesterday's event, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee also launched the World of Flowers Exhibition at a gallery in the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum.

An educational exhibit featuring text and photographs on flowers, it will run daily until May 31.

It is closed every last Tuesday of the month. Admission is free.

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Malaysia: Goodall to raise awareness on wildlife and environment

JEROME KUGAN The Star 29 Jan 15;

PETALING JAYA: Dr Jane Goodall, whose groundbreaking research on chimpanzee behaviour made her a household name among ape lovers, is visiting Malaysia for the first time.

Goodall, who turns 81 in April, is in town to raise awareness about Roots & Shoots, an organisation she co-founded in 1991 as a way of empowering young people to take part in projects on animals, the environment and the community.

In an exclusive interview with The Star, Goodall said she was glad that there were many Malaysians who showed concern about wildlife conservation and the environment.

She said she hoped that her visit would inspire more people, especially youths, to join the green movement and have a more positive outlook on Earth’s future.

“I’ve met so many young people and they seem not to have much hope,” she said yesterday.

“They read all the bad news, the doom and the gloom, and when I talk to them, they get angry and violent.

“Or just apathetic. They say – ‘You’ve compromised the future’.

“And they’re right. We have compromised the future,” said Goodall.

Besides launching this year’s programme for the Malaysian chapter of Roots & Shoots that she co-founded in October last year, Goodall is scheduled to make four public appearances during her two-day stop in Kuala Lumpur.

Her first appearance will be a talk hosted by the British International School in Bandar Utama today between 9.30am and 11.30am.

Some 700 students from schools in the Klang Valley are expected to attend.

On the same day, the eminent primatologist is the guest of “An Evening With Jane Goodall” presented by The Iclif Leadership and Governance Centre.

The event, which includes dinner and a one-hour talk by Goodall, will be held at Lanai Kijang.

According to the organisers’ website, tickets have been sold out.

Those keen on hearing Goodall’s insights should try to score tickets for “Reasons for Hope: A Talk by Jane Goodall” tomorrow between 9.30am and 12.30pm at Berjaya Times Square Hotel.

Presented by Borders and co-organised by Roots & Shoots Malaysia and Berjaya Youth, the talk is to be attended by more than 2,000 people.

Goodall’s final engagement will be at the Starbucks outlet in Kota Kemuning tomorrow, where she is slated to officially launch a one-year programme of collaborative projects by the coffee franchise and Roots & Shoots Malaysia.

She will next travel to Singapore and South Africa to promote initiatives by Roots & Shoots and her namesake organisation, The Jane Goodall Institute.

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Modifying Indonesia’s Conservation Methods

If conservation by the authorities alone doesn’t work well, why not develop new strategies in which the role of more competent groups is recognized?
Erik Meijaard Jakarta Globe 28 Jan 15;

People love lists. Type in “the 10 best …” in your favorite search engine and a great number of options will result, varying from “… movies of all times,” to “… spaghetti sauces,” and also the rather amusing “10 Best Moments in Pro-Gaming History.”

Such lists are sources of endless arguments. The race between Jimi Hendrix, Slash and Keith Richards as best electric guitar player is a toss-up and declaring any of them as winner would certainly lead to major ridicule.

And so it will be with my list of favorite Indonesian conservation projects. Of course, I will defend my chosen top three with tooth and nail, but undoubtedly many will disagree. The point is to generate debate.

What to look for in favorite projects? First, among the many failing Indonesian conservation initiatives, a project seeking my nomination would have to have success, at least in saving a species from near-extinction, or rescuing a forest that pretty much everyone else wants to destroy.

Second, it would be nice if the successes resulted in strong societal support, with people living around the project being happy with or at least accepting it. If people don’t like it, the project would have to go on forever, requiring constant funding, efforts, political support, etc.

Thirdly, it helps if the project didn’t cost all that much. If you just throw enough cash at something, eventually something will stick and generate some positive outcomes. But with conservation funding being limited, the cheaper is certainly the better.

And finally, I have to know a fair bit about the project, as it is the only way for me to judge its qualities. So on that note of totally subjective assumptions, here is my top three list of conservation favorites.

Wehea, East Kalimantan

This community-based project managed to turn a 38,000-hectare timber concession into an area fully protected by communities from the local Wehea tribe.

The area boasts stunning forest with exciting species, such as clouded leopards and orangutans. The project has garnered strong support from, the local government, the community and local industries. Lately the project has had some management struggles, but for now the area looks safe. No illegal logging nor hunting has been reported for years.

Harapan, Jambi, Sumatra

This was the first Indonesian Ecosystem Restoration project, nearly 100,000 hectares of more or less degraded rainforest in a sea of oil palm and other plantations. The project was given a 95-year license to manage the conservation values in the area.

It wasn’t cheap — you don’t get forest-use licenses for free in Indonesia, even if they are for conservation. But the area is home to great wildlife; tigers, elephants — you name it.

However, there has been a fair share of troubles, with people trying to illegally encroach onto the land, but increasingly the project looks safe and is an excellent example of the restoration potential of degraded rain forests.

Sungai Wain, East Kalimantan

In the late 1990s, pretty much everyone had given up on this 6,000-hectare forest just outside the city of Balikpapan. Illegal logging was rampant, people were all over the forest and fires burned much of the remainder.

Hard work by a small group of dedicated conservationists first extinguished the fires, then managed to get local government support for protection, and eventually convinced the army and police to hammer big spikes into trees so that illegal loggers would be deterred.

On a shoe-string budget, later supported by local government funding, an effectively protected area was created that maintains constant water flows to Balikpapan’s oil industry (and thus prevents the city’s economic collapse).

Honorable mentions

I can think of a few more apparent successes, including the Bali starling project in Nusa Penida off of Bali; the massive Gunung Leuser ecosystem in northern Sumatra; the recently protected Batang Toru area, also in Sumatra; Ujung Kulon, Banten, and its surviving Javan rhinos; Nantu in Gorontalo province and its well-protected babirusas; and the amazing Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan, which would have been converted to oil palm if it hadn’t been for the collective action of activists.

What is interesting is that all these greatest conservation successes are largely driven by nongovernmental organizations or concerned people — not the central government. In fact, in my experience, a protected area or species solely managed by government authorities will almost invariably be in decline.

On reflection it appears that nongovernmental conservation organizations run much of the show in Indonesian conservation, at least with regard to creating conservation success. A good example is the Kutai National park in East Kalimantan. Much of the park burned in the 1980s and 1990s, and the remainder was over-run by illegal loggers and farmers.

According to government documents, the park has a $ 1 million annual budget, which translates into $5 per hectare — pretty decent by most international standards. So, it is certainly not lack of funding that’s challenging park management. Then why is park management still struggling to protect its forest and wildlife?

Indonesian conservation urgently needs better understanding of the conditions for success. If conservation by the authorities alone doesn’t work well, why not develop new strategies in which the role of potentially more competent groups is formerly recognized?

Wouldn’t that be the performance-based government system that Indonesia is now trying to develop?

The fact that conservation is not easy is even more reason to look hard at who achieves what in Indonesian conservation and select only the most effective and efficient group to govern the country’s threatened wildlife and habitats. A review of conservation roles and responsibilities is urgently needed.

Erik Meijaard is a conservation scientist coordinating the Borneo Futures initiative

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Smothered oceans: Extreme oxygen loss in oceans accompanied past global climate change

University of California - Davis Science Daily 28 Jan 15;

From the subarctic Pacific to the Chilean margins, extreme oxygen loss is stretching from the upper ocean to about 3,000 meters deep. In some oceanic regions, such loss occurred within 100 years or less, according to a new study.

Seafloor sediment cores reveal abrupt, extensive loss of oxygen in the ocean when ice sheets melted roughly 10,000-17,000 years ago, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The findings provide insight into similar changes observed in the ocean today.

In the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers analyzed marine sediment cores from different world regions to document the extent to which low oxygen zones in the ocean have expanded in the past, due to climate change.

From the subarctic Pacific to the Chilean margins, they found evidence of extreme oxygen loss stretching from the upper ocean to about 3,000 meters deep. In some oceanic regions, such loss took place over a time period of 100 years or less.

"This is a global story that knits these regions together and shows that when you warm the planet rapidly, whole ocean basins can lose oxygen very abruptly and very extensively," said lead author Sarah Moffitt, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and formerly a Ph.D. student with the Graduate Group in Ecology.

Marine organisms, from salmon and sardines to crab and oysters, depend on oxygen to exist. Adapting to an ocean environment with rapidly dropping oxygen levels would require a major reorganization of living things and their habitats, much as today polar species on land are retreating to higher, cooler latitudes.

The researchers chose the deglaciation period because it was a time of rising global temperatures, atmospheric carbon dioxide and sea levels -- many of the global climate change signs the Earth is experiencing now.

"Our modern ocean is moving into a state that has no precedent in human history," Moffitt said. "The potential for our oceans to look very, very different in 100-150 years is real. How do you use the best available science to care for these critical resources in the future? Resource managers and conservationists can use science like this to guide a thoughtful, precautionary approach to environmental management."

The study's co-authors include: Russell Moffitt with the Marine Conservation Institute; Tessa Hill, professor in the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and at the Bodega Marine Laboratory; Wilson Sauthoff and Catherine Davis of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; and Kathryn Hewett, UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The study arose from a graduate level course that was taught at UC Davis in winter 2013 by Hill. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

Journal Reference:
Sarah E. Moffitt, Russell A. Moffitt, Wilson Sauthoff, Catherine V. Davis, Kathryn Hewett, Tessa M. Hill. Paleoceanographic Insights on Recent Oxygen Minimum Zone Expansion: Lessons for Modern Oceanography. PLOS ONE, 2015; 10 (1): e0115246 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115246

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Low oil prices won't hurt renewable energy, says US EIA

Tax incentives more important than oil price and oil is not in head-on competition with renewables for electricity production, says government’s chief energy analyst
Suzanne Goldenberg The Guardian 28 Jan 15;

Cheap oil is not about to kill off wind and solar power as some experts have claimed, the US government’s chief energy analyst said on Wednesday.

The historic drop in crude oil prices, with Brent crude trading at $49.04 a barrel in London on Wednesday, had raised fears that renewable energy sources would struggle to compete.

But Adam Sieminski, who heads the Energy Information Administration, said oil was not in head-on competition with renewables when it came to electricity generation – and that government policies would help shield the clean energy industries.

“A lot of the demand that is coming for wind and solar additions in the US is supported through tax incentives and state energy programmes that require a certain percentage of electricity to come from renewables,” Sieminski told a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

However, the EIA does expect US greenhouse gas emissions to creep up in 2014 – undermining Barack Obama’s efforts to fight climate change – with cheap oil encouraging economic growth.

Installations of industrial-scale solar power doubled in 2014 – because of those support programmes and falling prices for solar panels. However, renewables overall, excluding hydro, still account for only about 6% of US power generation.

Most of America’s electricity comes from coal and natural gas – not oil – so the cheap global oil prices would not have an immediate effect, Sieiminski said.

“I think that in the near-term the drop in oil prices is not really going to have much of an impact on wind and solar installations,” he said.

But it could be a different story for hybrid and plug-in vehicles. There are signs that $2 a gallon gas is making big cars and trucks more popular for US consumers again, and the head of the world’s top renewable energy agency recently warned low oil prices threatened electric cars. But even on cars, Sieminski said other factors came into play.

Car ownership is declining over recent decades because of urbanisation, and as a lifestyle choice among younger Americans. In addition, many cities offer perks to electric car drivers, such as the right to share the carpooling lane, or free charging stations.

“Is the growth in all electric vehicles really being driven by gasoline prices, or is it social?” he said.

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Madagascar seeks international aid after tropical storm kills 68

LOVASOA RABARY PlanetArk 29 Jan 15;

Madagascar's government appealed for international aid on Wednesday after a tropical storm earlier this month devastated large swathes of the Indian Ocean island, causing damage worth around $40 million.

Sixty-eight people were killed and 130,000 displaced when the tropical storm Chedza hit Madagascar on Jan. 16, the National Bureau of Risk Management and Disaster said.

The storm also lashed Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in one of the worst disasters to hit the region in years. Rivers burst their banks, flooding vast areas and destroying homes, bridges and crops.

"The country is in a state of disaster and officially appeals for aid both nationally and internationally," Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo said on national radio on Wednesday.

Ravelonarivo estimated the damage at more than 100 billion ariary, roughly $40 million, and said major flooding had "caused massive degradation of key infrastructure".

Madagascar is one of the world's poorest nations and is currently also battling a plague epidemic which has killed at least 57 people since August.

The island's economy was battered after a 2009 coup that drove away donors and investors. A peaceful 2013 election has brought back some aid, but the nation is still struggling to impose stable government and economic reforms.

The IMF said Madagascar's economy early signs of recovery in 2014 with growth estimated at 3 percent, which could rise to 5 percent in 2015, but political instability, weak institutions and weak governance are hurting prospects.

(Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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Best of our wild blogs: 28 Jan 15

downtown eaglets @ singapore - Mar 2013
from sgbeachbum

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Reclamation works for Tanjung Piai oil hub project can now begin

The Star 28 Jan 15;

PETALING JAYA: Benalec Holdings Bhd has received the Department of Environment (DOE) approval to commence reclamation work for its Tanjung Piai petroleum hub and industrial park in the Straits of Johor, the company said in a Bursa Malaysia announcement.

This is the second major approval given for land reclamation works off the shores of Johor that separates Malaysia and Singapore in a space of two weeks.

On Jan 14, Country Garden Pacific View, which is a joint venture between China’s Country Garden and a state government entity, got the approval to reclaim 1,368ha of land near the Second Link connecting Johor and Singapore for a development project called Forest City.

The land reclamation works has not gone down well with Singapore that has expressed its concern to Putrajaya.

According to Benalec, its 70%-owned subsidiary Spektrum Kukuh Sdn Bhd and Perbadanan Setiausaha Kerajaan Johor received the approval that came with several conditions.

Among them is that the reclamation works in Phase 1 of the proposed project should include the construction of an oil terminal, the construction of a jetty and a bridge linking the island to the mainland and dredging.

The company said the approval was valid for two years.

Benalec plans to develop an Integrated Petroleum & Petrochemical Hub and Maritime Industrial Park on the reclaimed land to enable the company to earn recurring income.

Phase 1 of the proposed project is targeted to commence next month, the company said.

The company did not state the size of the land approved for reclamation, but based on previous announcements, the Tanjung Piai project encompasses 1,410ha, of which some 404.7ha have been identified for the purpose of constructing and operating a crude oil and petroleum storage facility together with a private jetty.

According to reports, among the directors of Spectrum Kukuh are the Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Idris Sultan Ibrahim and Daing A Malek Daing A Rahaman, who are said to be partners to Benalec in the Tanjung Piai reclamation project.

Benalec said the approval represents a major milestone for the company and takes it a step closer to realising its business plans and to be in sync with the country’s aim of establishing itself as a storage and trading hub in Asia Pacific.

Benalec’s shares rose six sen at yesterday’s close to 78 sen, with 8.6 million shares changing hands. The stock is now trading at a two-month high..

The project was first proposed in March 2013.

The project will be financed via internally generated funds and bank borrowings, an earlier announcement said.

In a note late last year, following Benalec’s first-quarter financial year 2015 results, CIMB Research’s Sharizan Rosely said that he expected Benalec’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margins to trend lower than its forecast 24% for the full year.

At current prices, Benalec is trading at a price-to-earning ratio (PER) of 26 times and a forward PER of 11.64 times with a market capitalisation of RM623mil.

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Smart cities: What it takes to build a city

Akshobh Giridharadas, Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: What goes into building a city and what does it take to build a city from the ground up?

Managing Director at PwC Capital Projects & Infrastructure, Keith Martin said on Tuesday (Jan 27): "The starting point of good planning is really to understand the demand for a new city space or new urban development.

“So, there must be a way of measuring demand, assessing that demand, understanding the type of demand, the timing of that demand, the population growth, and the affordability of the demand, so that the master plan can be demand driven and reflect the needs of the end users.”

An oversupply of infrastructure could be as detrimental as an under supply. The oversupply of housing in certain parts of China has sparked fears of an impending property bubble.

Apart from balancing the physical needs of land, water and the environment, analysts have pointed out that is also important to consider social needs in the entire ecosystem.

EY Advisory Services Partner, Sam Wong said it is not only important to look at the physical or infrastructure aspects, but the human side of it as well.

He said: “People make up and exhibit the culture and this is what a city should be known for. In commercial terms, we call it unique selling points. Similarly in a city, what is the unique selling point is that it is relevant to its stakeholder."

Microsoft Public Service Group Director, Stephanie Hung said there are three big development considerations when building a smart city. She said the first is to consider how the Government can be assisted to build trustworthiness while the second is to deal with building sustainability. The third, she added, would be to focus on the people in the cities.

While people build cities, it is equally important that cities today are built for its people.

- CNA/xk/el

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Local standard for organic food in works

Audrey Tan Ruiping The Straits Times AsiaOne 28 Jan 15;

Consumers may soon get to buy organic vegetables with a local stamp of approval.

A unit under the Singapore Manufacturing Federation is developing a new standard for organic produce, The Straits Times has learnt.

"Organic certification may build upon this new standard," said its spokesman in response to queries.

But as discussions with stakeholders are still at a preliminary stage, the federation's Standards Development Organisation is unable to disclose further information, she added.

Currently, Singapore farmers who want to label and sell their produce as organic must obtain certification from an organic certification body overseas. There are at least 200 of them from more than 80 countries, and each sets its own standards.

There is no widely recognised official organic food standard in Singapore, and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said it does not have a definition or specification standard for organic produce.

So if local organic certification comes to fruition, it could boost the branding of local crops and help consumers better identify organic produce, farmers and marketing experts say.

Organic-certified food can cost up to three times as much as that produced by conventional methods, said Dr Guan Chong of SIM University's school of business. "Certification helps consumers recognise organic products in the market and provides assurance on the claims related to organic farming," she said.

"Without certification, consumers are less likely to trust marketeers' claims."

Farmer Liao Jun Jie, 26, from the family-run Quan Fa Organic Farm in Kranji, believes organic certification is good for the branding of local produce.

There is demand for organic-certified products these days, he said, especially among younger consumers. "But there are many products in the market that claim to be organic although they may not follow organic farming standards," he added.

Aside from not using synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilisers, organic farming has other requirements, such as crop rotation.

This means a crop cannot be grown on the same patch of land, as this affects nutrient levels in the soil.

Quan Fa has applied for organic certification from the Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand, which the farm will receive by the end of next month, but Mr Liao said local accreditation would better assure consumers.

Personal assistant Jileen Tan, 51, who occasionally buys organic produce, said a Singapore certification would be reliable.

"So far, Singapore has been stringent with quality control. So I would trust it more," she said.

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100 Days Into His Presidency, Jokowi Garners Plaudits From Indonesia’s Environmental Groups

The president has stayed mum on the reclamation of Benoa Bay, which is facing a massive development project
Kennial Caroline Laia Jakarta Globe 28 Jan 15;

Jakarta. Amid rising tensions and an onslaught of criticism triggered by the ongoing skirmish between the National Police and the national antigraft agency, President Joko Widodo has managed to come out on top in the eyes of one group.

One hundred days into Joko’s term in office, Indonesia’s environmental activists extended their appreciation to the president for his commitment to protecting the nation’s forests, saying the moves he has made so far have been largely “positive.”

Forest Watch Indonesia chairman Togu Manurung praised Joko’s “brave” stance against large corporations that control — and destroy — large swathes of Indonesia’s forests, while also defending the interests of the local communities.

“In his very first month in office, Joko flew to Riau to witness firsthand the devastation caused by haze and forest fires. He also addressed the issue of forest management, suggesting that the local people control the land; not big companies,” Togu told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

“Although it’s still much too early to evaluate Joko’s administration in terms of its commitment to the environment, Joko himself has been very supportive of our plight to save the nation’s forests and peat lands from fires and corporate mismanagement,” he added.

Togu’s sentiments were made on the same day Joko ushered in his 100th day in office amid a barrage of media reports scrutinizing his unpopular policies, most notably his recent controversial pick of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as the sole candidate for the influential role of National Police chief.

Joko chose not to withdraw his nomination of Budi, flagged in 2010 for his suspiciously “fat” bank accounts, even after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared him a graft suspect.

The matter has since escalated into an all-out brawl between the police and KPK, with the president heavily criticized for failing to stand up for the antigraft body — widely popular among the public — against the infamously corrupt police force.

Togu cited Joko’s visit to Sungaitohor village, Riau, in late November, following a request made through Petition.org.

A Sungaitohor resident had asked the president to inspect a site not far from the village which has been ravaged by annual peat fires for more than 17 years.

During the visit, Joko pledged his support for local communities, who have often been blamed by big corporations for intentionally igniting fires in order to clear forests and peat lands to make way for plantations in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The slash-and-burn method has been deemed responsible for the recurring haze crises that regularly disrupt flights and force airports to shutdowns, while endangering the health of tens of thousands of people in region. The environmental disturbance has even drawn criticism from neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, who are also affected.

Local farmers and activists, meanwhile, are pointing the finger at large corporate-run plantations, holding them responsible for the devastating fires.

“We appreciate Joko’s visits to several locations [afflicted by haze], such as in Riau and Pontianak, to experience the problem firsthand,” Togu said.

Joko has since repeatedly threatened to revoke operating licences of companies that cause fires in forested areas. He also pushed regional officers to quickly work on reducing the number of hotspots in their respective areas by whatever means necessary, adding that he would dismiss those who failed to do so.

“Such measures may seem extreme, but they are needed to preserve our forests,” Togu said.

“However, Joko needs to ensure that his promises are not mere lip service; he must push the minister to do her job,” he added, referring to Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya.

Another move praised by environmental groups was Joko’s decision to grant clemency to Eva Susanti Bande, an activist convicted and sentenced to four years in prison in 2010 for defending farmers of Luwuk, South Sulawesi, in a land dispute against a local palm oil plantation.

Still, Togu questioned the organizational restructuring of the Forestry Ministry and the Environment Ministry, which were merged into a single state entity under Joko.

“Since the merger, the government has failed to explain the new ministerial structure. This has to be addressed immediately to avoid confusion,” he said.

Executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Abetnego Tarigan, echoed the sentiment, saying the ministry’s performance in the next few years would largely depend on its bureaucratic structure.

“How can [Siti] draw up new policies if the ministry’s organizational structure is still in disarray? How can [the ministry’s officials] fully understand their respective roles?” Abetnego said.

The Walhi chief also questioned the implementation of Joko’s recent environmental promises.

“Since assuming office, Joko has been issuing statements that seem to convey his commitment to [Indonesia’s] environmental issues, including on the haze and fire crises. However, there have been no concrete policies to support his statements,” he pointed out.

Abetnego added that Joko’s administration still had the job of evaluating policies left by his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, including a contentious presidential decree issued last year that changed the status of Bali’s Benoa Bay from a conservation zone into a buffer zone, allowing commercial development in the area.

Despite public protests — conducted mainly in Bali and Jakarta — demanding the government to retract the decree, Joko has so far stayed mum on the issue. The reclamation of Benoa Bay is now continuing under a massive development project by Tirta Wahana Bali International (TWBI), a property development unit of tycoon Tomy Winata’s Arta Graha Network.

Abetnego last week expressed concern over what is now widely seen as systematic efforts to incapacitate the KPK through the criminalization of its leaders — four of them have been reported to police over different cases following the antigraft body’s naming of police general Budi as suspect.

Abetnego said this would hamper law enforcement in the deeply corrupt forestry sector, which has allowed companies to
irresponsibly cut down hundreds and thousands of hectares of trees by bribing local officials.

“To Walhi, the KPK represents a force of change in the sustainable management of Indonesia’s natural resources, which for years has been marred by corruption,” Abetnego said.

“Measures taken by the KPK have truly stirred fear among greedy government officials and businesses, even in the environmental sector.

“Walhi supports and encourages the people of Indonesia to unite in their fight against these corruptors and save the KPK,” he added.

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