Welcome Remarks by Mr Teng Theng Dar, CEO, SBF on SBF-SEAS MOU Signing at Launch of Carbon Forum Asia 2009, 20 August 2009, 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm, SBF Seminar Room 2
Mr. Henry Derwent, President & CEO, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA);
Mr Albert Altarejos Magalang, Co-Chair of the DNA Forum Chairing Committee & Asia-Pacific Regional Representative, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
Mr Edwin Khew, Chairman, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore and Council Member, Singapore Business Federation;
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon,
1. I’m very happy to join you today on the official launch of Carbon Forum Asia 2009 as well as the MOU signing between the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) aimed at promoting the adoption and commercialization of clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and solutions amongst Singapore companies.
2. First of all, on behalf of SBF, IETA, Koelnemsse and SEAS – our joint organizers as well as the supporting partners, we would like to thank all distinguished speakers and guests for being here this afternoon to find out more about the business potential, commercial benefits and market opportunities in the clean energy and more specifically the carbon trading sector.
3. The convergence of high oil prices, concerns over climate change and dwindling energy resources has seen a surge in global interest in clean energy and sustainable development. Singapore has over the recent years identified several sectors for focused development, including energy efficiency, solar, fuel cell, bio-energy, carbon trading and other green urban and eco-city solutions.
4. In the area of carbon trading in Singapore, there is an ongoing multi-agency effort led by IE Singapore to encourage the growth of a carbon cluster involving carbon advisories, funds, project owners, and verifiers amongst others. The National Environment Agency (NEA) on the other hand serves as Singapore’s Designated National Authority (DNA) for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project certification. It also provides funding to support CDM project documentation.
5. Given the vast potential of the carbon market and the many member companies who could potentially benefit from carbon trading, SBF is therefore pleased to partner SEAS in supporting the Carbon Forum Asia, an initiative helmed by IETA and Koelnmesse since 2007.
6. The interest of the Singapore Business Federation in sustainable development is broad-based.
SBF’s Activities within Clean Energy and Past Collaboration with SEAS
7. As the Apex business chamber in Singapore, SBF has since 2007 joined forces with various strategic partners to facilitate awareness of green issues, as well as the formation of communities to connect businesses to the opportunities in this sector.
8. In the area of clean energy and energy efficiency, SBF has organized a number of joint seminars, networking events and other activities with SEAS. These include a series of bi-monthly industry networking sessions, our support for Carbon Forum Asia and Energex 2007, the Singapore Certified Energy Manager Program, as well as other SEAS training programs on solar photovoltaics, energy efficiency and carbon trading.
SBF-SEAS MOU Collaboration on Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency
9. SBF is therefore very pleased to build on this collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) today. Under the MOU, SBF and SEAS will strengthen our collaboration in promoting the adoption and commercialization of clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and solutions amongst Singapore companies.
10. Together with SEAS, SBF will facilitate joint events, training workshops, business missions, networking as well as targeted business matching sessions to enable Singapore-based companies to benefit from this collaboration.
SBF’s broad-based Interests in Sustainable Development
11. Besides clean energy and energy efficiency, however, SBF is also working with various industry vertical partners in other areas of sustainable development together with our government agency partners.
12. In Green IT or the area of energy savings in the use of IT and by IT, we conducted a national green IT survey supported by iDA and NEA amongst 330 companies which identified the existing interests, potential and adoption amongst Singapore companies in the area of green IT. The findings indicated that the awareness and planned adoption level were at 46%. In the coming year, we will be working with IE Singapore for a Green IT audit program to help Singapore companies in Green IT in overseas go-to-market.
13. In sustainable business practices, we are working with Singapore Compact for CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility to generate a greater awareness of environmental sustainability issues as part of a company’s CSR agenda, as well as the adoption of sustainability reporting and the publication of a sustainable business practices handbook.
14. In other areas of sustainable development, we will be working with Singapore Water Association in the area of sustainable water solutions, Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS) in the area of waste minimization and recycling, as well as Singapore Timber Association (STA) in the adoption of wood recycling practices, etc. just to name a few.
15. Earlier this year, SBF signed a MOU with Temasek Polytechnic’s Fuel Cell Community (FCC) to establish a Clean Energy Testbedding Community (CETC), supported by EDB, aimed at business and technological cooperation to testbed and pilot Fuel Cell (FC) and other Clean Energy Technologies (CET).
16. Under CETC, we have to-date helped match companies with Housing Development Board (HDB) and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) on fuel cell projects. We are now facilitating the testbedding of a million dollar solar energy project with a petrochemical manufacturer on Jurong Island. We have also matched two member companies working on hydropower projects in different parts of China together for business collaboration.
17. Besides company matches, we have also facilitated project matches under CETC with Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and Clean Energy Testbedding at Pulau Ubin with Energy Market Authority. Beyond Singapore, we had led an IMAP-funded business mission to Hydrogen & Fuel Cells 2009 in Vancouver, Canada.
18. In November 2008, SBF launched an inaugural edition of the Singapore Sustainable Development Industry Directory together with Economic Development Board (EDB), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, National Environment Agency (NEA), SPRING Singapore, and our business and industry partners with more than 300 companies. The directory brings together a comprehensive list of companies focused on green practices and in the business of providing green solutions, and is aimed at generating greater consciousness and interests towards Sustainable Development and to serve as an enabling platform to facilitate, promote and support green business opportunities.
19. This year, with the second edition due to be published at the Singapore International Energy Week 2009 in November, we are expecting to see a 50% increase in company listing with the addition of new partners in Building & Construction Authority (BCA), Energy Market Authority (EMA), Public Utilities Board (PUB), Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), etc.
Sustainable Development Business Group
20. With the increasing needs of businesses not just in the area of clean energy but also other energy efficient and sustainable solutions, SBF is forming a Sustainable Development Business Group (SDBG) which will allow the group to reach out to an even wider range of industries and businesses.
21. In the coming year, we will work towards facilitating more business opportunities for companies in the sustainable development sector, which will include other areas such as eco-city or green urban solutions, sustainable manufacturing, sustainable transport and logistics, environmental pollution, etc.
Conclusions
22. Green business is about achieving sustainable economic growth. SBF is therefore pleased to offer SDBG as a facilitation platform, and through a cluster of partnerships to connect clean energy and Sustainable Development (SD) programs, business opportunities as well as technology to our members.
23. On this note, I hope that today’s session will provide an excellent opportunity for all of you to find out more about the business potential, commercial benefits and market opportunities in the clean energy and carbon trading sector. May I take this opportunity to wish all a successful seminar and networking session. Thank you!
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