International
Enterprise (IE) Singapore and PUB are working together to help Singapore companies
deploy smart utilities solutions and build capabilities in Abu Dhabi, the
capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According
to a joint
media release, nine Singapore organisations will be collaborating with the
Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) on smart utilities including power and
water. The collaboration was made possible with IE Singapore’s introduction and
facilitation.
Memoranda
of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between the Abu Dhabi DoE and the Singapore
organisations during DoE’s five-day visit to Singapore.
The DoE
five-day visit aimed to learn more about Singapore’s smart utilities landscape
and collaborate with Singapore companies to pilot innovative solutions in Abu
Dhabi.
As
the largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi accounts for
60% of UAE’s GDP, which reached S$462.3 billion in 2016. Traditionally
dependent on oil and gas, Abu Dhabi is now diversifying into infrastructure,
manufacturing and services.
The
Department of Energy (DoE) of Abu Dhabi is the government authority with a
mandate to regulate, manage and ensure continuous supply of the energy
requirements for the emirates of Abu Dhabi. It is investing boldly to boost the
efficiency of its utilities by reducing transmission losses in power and water
through smart metering and leakage detection of systems.
Beyond
Abu Dhabi, the UAE is taking steps to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and
aims to generate almost half the country’s power needs from renewable sources.
The UAE has also announced plans to invest over S$200 billion in smart
utilities and renewable energy projects.
Such
development in the UAE has opened up opportunities for Singapore smart
utilities players, given Singapore’s strong reputation and experience in smart,
reliable and sustainable utilities solutions.
“With
over 400 Singapore companies operating across the emirates, Singapore and the
UAE enjoy growing business, trade and investment links. As Abu Dhabi
accelerates its economic diversification, it is also modernising its utilities
sector. Singapore companies’ smart utilities solutions will do well in Abu
Dhabi, especially in water management and electricity grid management. The
projects arising from the MOUs will provide Singapore companies with a solid
track record as they pursue similar opportunities across the region,” said Mr.
G. Jayakrishnan, Group Director of Middle East and Africa Group of IE
Singapore.
Since
last year, IE Singapore and PUB have partnered each other to showcase and
market Singapore’s smart utilities solutions and promote bilateral
collaborations in the utilities space in the UAE, including with DoE.
This
collaboration has led to the signing of several MOUs in water and power.
“Through
building a robust and sustainable supply of water for Singapore, we have
developed strengths in water management and a vibrant water industry that spans
the entire water value chain,” said Dr Pang Chee Meng, Director for Industry
Development of PUB.
The three
water-related MOUs signed are that:
(1) DoE
and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, to cooperate in capability
development and technology development for areas of common interest, including
water quality monitoring technologies and water and wastewater networks.
(2)
Meinhardt to provide capability development training for DoE and its group of
companies in operations and maintenance, managing distribution networks,
technology adoption, etc.
(3) Zweec
Analytics to provide capability development on water quality monitoring through
its fish activity monitoring and alert system, AquaTEC, in Abu Dhabi’s water
systems.
“We hope that through the sharing of
experiences and knowledge, the water partnerships with DoE and their sector of
companies will result in the co-creation of more innovative water solutions
that will benefit both Singapore and Abu Dhabi, as well as the global water
industry,” Dr Pang added.
At
the same time, five power-related MOUs were signed. They include:
(1)
SP Global Solutions, the global training arm of the SP Group, to share digital
solutions and best engineering practices to enable DoE to achieve its aim of
boosting energy efficiency.
(2)
Energy Market Company to share knowledge on rule making, compliance and dispute
resolution for the power grid network, as well as innovative practices for the
electricity market.
(3)
Diamond Energy to pilot their demand response management and grid maintenance
solutions on DoE’s power grid networks.
(4)
ADDO AI to provide data analytics solutions and services to DoE.
(5)
Singapore Management University (SMU) and National University of Singapore
(NUS) to provide leadership training for DoE’s executive management.
Going
forward, tn the second quarter of 2018, IE Singapore will be leading a smart
utilities mission to the Middle East to help more companies explore
opportunities across the region, including the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
IE
Singapore is the government agency that promotes international trade and
partners Singapore companies to go global. It attracts and anchors global
trading companies in Singapore while partners Singapore companies to strengthen
their global competitiveness.
In
April 2018, IE Singapore will merge with SPRING Singapore to form Enterprise
Singapore. The new government agency will leverage our core strengths in
internationalisation and SPRING’s expertise in helping SMEs, providing
Singapore companies with a holistic and integrated network to build
capabilities and access overseas markets.