CEO John Ng on Singapore’s Sustainable Future

John Ng, CEO of the utility company, says he has always kept green energy in mind since he began his career as a boiler engineer over 35 years ago.

“I joined the power industry in 1985 … as a boiler engineer, I’m supposed to make sure that the boiler works in the most efficient way,” he told CNBC’s “Managing Asia: Sustainable Future.” ..

Ng explained that boilers tend to work efficiently, but can dissipate heat and dust. “So we installed a sustainable dust collector … that’s how we started generating electricity and made sure that everything produced in the atmosphere was as clean as possible. “He added.

Currently, as CEO of YTL Power Seraya, a power producer for both Singaporean enterprises and retail customers, he states that sustainability is becoming increasingly important.

The company switched from oil to natural gas in 2003 to generate electricity, which required three things. “The stars must be in a straight line,” N said.

“The first is the availability of (a) modern technology combined cycle plants. Therefore, even if () modern technology is available, fuel must also be available. In the meantime, with Malaysia Indonesia said it would increase exports of pipe natural gas to Singapore.

“Thirdly important, 2003 was also a time when there was a new market framework. If you want to generate electricity in the market, the cost of electricity generation must be the lowest,” Ng said. I am. Added.

However, while gas-fired power plants still emit carbon, emission levels are below those of oil or coal power plants, and YTL Power Seraya is currently enhancing its solar capacity.

Solar plan

In April, the company appointed Lim Han Kwang as Group Head of Retail, Regulatory and Renewable Energy and was tasked with leading the company’s green efforts. Lim is also the CEO of Geneco, a retail supply division that provides solar panel installation services for customers and also offers renewable energy plans.

However, there are challenges with solar power. Photovoltaic panels require a lot of land, and obviously the sun. This can be intermittent in Singapore’s tropical climate.

“Looking at Singapore today … in fact, the clouds cover the sunlight that shines into Singapore, which means that 100% dependence on sunlight in Singapore is completely (cannot be done) by us. Means, “says Ng.

One way Singapore has more access to solar power is Proposed Australia-ASEAN Power LinkAims to transmit energy from solar panels in the country’s Northern Territory to parts of Asia. 2,800 mile long cable.. The operation is scheduled to start in 2027.

Ng called the ASEAN project “very, very interesting.” But, “That said, we need to balance our ability to power ourselves with the ability to buy 100% wholesale from abroad.”

Singaporean homes with solar panels can be expected to recover costs in about seven to eight years, Ng said, adding that this period would be a bit low for the wholesalers of YTL PowerSeraya’s business.

Nuclear energy is one of the sources of “nearly zero” carbon emissions, Ng said, but the 2011 disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was a public perception of nuclear power.

Low, meaning that policy makers do not want to discuss it. “The question is, how do we make nuclear weapons safer? How do we make them more acceptable to the public?”

Skills and expertise in waste management, regulation and safety need further development before urban nations are ready to build nuclear power plants, Ng said.

Sunset solution

Staff training and motivation are two points that Ng raises when asked about the most difficult lessons of his career. “Especially in the last seven years when the power industry has suffered economic losses in the region, about $ 2 billion has been tough … Employees feel that this is the” sunset industry “and the sunset industry. .. Question How do you keep improving your skills? “

Ng has implemented a “Cultural Transformation Initiative” to support business progress and the company’s technological performance. The company has not recorded power outages or “trips” for two years.

YTL PowerSeraya’s power generation group saw a 2.5% decline in market share between 2019 and 2020, according to the latest annual report published last June.

Oil prices fell dramatically during last year’s pandemic, but the company, like other companies, suffered from “over-hedging” its assets, Ng said. In addition to this, shelter-in-place orders closed the workplace, reducing overall electricity consumption.

This is a “double pain” for the utility. “The pandemic has made our lives very difficult, but the good thing is that we manage it well,” Ng said.

Over the next few years, the growing demand for renewables will make the industry function more efficiently, according to Ng. “Consumers want more renewable energy, but that’s only part of it … an important part for all CEOs is that (people) use less and become more operationally efficient. How to encourage. “

CEO John Ng on Singapore’s Sustainable Future

Source: eminetra