SATA CommHealth Solar Rooftop Opening Ceremony - Mr Baey Yam Keng

Opening Remarks by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment, at the SATA CommHealth Solar Rooftop Opening Ceremony, on 22 September 2022

Mr Alvin Wee, Head of Transport, Grab Singapore

Dr Kelvin Phua, Chief Executive Officer, SATA CommHealth

Mr Stanley Sia, Chairman, SATA CommHealth

Ms Valerie Lee, Head of Corporate Affairs (Singapore and Southeast Asia), Sembcorp

Ladies and gentlemen,

1 Thank you for inviting me to join you today. I am delighted to be here at SATA CommHealth Headquarters for the unveiling of the solar panels.

Climate Change and Challenges for Singapore

2 Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation. It is an existential threat for all of us, but especially for a low-lying island-state like Singapore. With limited land, manpower, and alternative energy options, Singapore is especially challenged in our climate mitigation options.

3 Singapore has committed to reducing our carbon emissions. Solar energy remains the most viable and promising renewable energy source for electricity generation in our country. However, due to limited space available, we need to be innovative when installing solar panels. Despite these constraints, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future.

Singapore Green Plan 2030

4 A year ago, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore's national agenda on sustainable development. The Green Plan is organised along five pillars: (i) City in Nature; (ii) Energy Reset; (iii) Sustainable Living; (iv) Green Economy; and (v) Resilient Future. Let me share briefly about the "Energy Reset" pillar.

5 The Energy Reset pillar outlines the Government's approach to decarbonise the energy sector, including increasing the deployment of solar power energy. Our aim is to increase solar energy deployment by five times to at least two gigawatt-peak by 2030. This is equivalent to powering around 350,000 households a year.

6 But the efforts of the Government alone will not be enough to achieve this goal, and others under the Singapore Green Plan.

Forward Singapore (Steward Pillar) – Working Together for a Green, Liveable and Climate-Resilient Future

7 Earlier this week, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment launched public engagements for Environmental Sustainability under Forward Singapore's Steward Pillar.

8 Through this exercise, we invite businesses, communities, and individuals to step forward and share your views on how we can work together to keep Singapore green, liveable, and climate-resilient for future generations.

Collective Efforts to Tackle Climate Change

9 Managing the impact of climate change requires a multi-stakeholder partnership. It is important to unite the People, Private and Public sectors, also commonly known as the 3P sectors, in our fight against climate change.

10 Both Grab and Sembcorp are leaders in their respective fields and are an excellent example of the power of collaboration.

11 In line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Grab had announced its 2030 Transport Sustainability Goal last year. It included the unveiling of the Green Programme where passengers are encouraged to pay a nominal 10 cent fee when they book a ride or order food delivery. The contributions will go towards Grab's solarisation efforts in the local community.

12 Grab has partnered with Sembcorp to multiply its efforts for the Green Programme. Sembcorp, a leading energy and urban solutions provider, is one of the largest solar energy players in Singapore. It has a global track record in delivering innovative solutions that support the energy transition and sustainable development.

13 It is always heartening to see stakeholders joining hands with their combined resources and knowledge to embark on such innovative projects. Grab and Sembcorp's collaboration has indeed complemented Singapore's efforts towards increasing our solar energy deployment.

14 As a force for good, Grab and Sembcorp have jointly identified SATA CommHealth as the first beneficiary of their solarisation collaboration. Through the installation of the solar panels, it will greatly help SATA CommHealth to operate more sustainably. It will also help SATA CommHealth divert some of its resources to focus on other areas such as medical services and community outreach programmes for the underprivileged and vulnerable communities.

15 This project truly encapsulates the significant value of the 3P sectors, and how efforts from the 3P sectors can advance our sustainability goals.

Conclusion

16 To conclude, I would like to extend my congratulations to Grab and Sembcorp for reaching yet another sustainable milestone. I would also like to thank SATA CommHealth for your support in the project.

17 Thank you all for contributing to a greener Singapore.