SINGAPORE: Global asset manager Keppel is taking its first plunge into the centralised cooling system pioneered at Tengah with a configuration that will enter through the kitchen and run under the beam where possible.
Keppel’s version of the residential cooling system will also have pipes kept at the same height throughout the unit to minimise the use of joints.
The company is the second to have been awarded the contract to design, build, own and operate the centralised cooling system at Tengah.
The system involves piping chilled water to homes from centralised chillers installed on the rooftops of selected HDB blocks to cool the flats. Considered a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional air-conditioning systems, the centralised cooling system is a key push towards developing Tengah as a smart and sustainable Housing and Development Board (HDB) town.
National grid operator SP Group designed and built the first iteration of centralised cooling systems alongside air-con manufacturer Daikin in Tengah’s initial batches of flats, and continues to manage the system.
But the installation has not been smooth for all flats, with residents complaining of problems including condensation and leaks from their system.
Keppel’s contract was announced in September last year. The company won a 20-year contract to handle the system at three upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) projects – Brickland Weave, Plantation Edge I & II and Plantation Verge – which will have around 3,500 units when completed in 2027.
It is the company’s first foray into district cooling in public housing.
Announcing the contract, HDB said it hoped to strengthen the industry’s capabilities with the participation of more market players.
A spokesperson for the housing authority told CNA that Keppel was awarded the contract via an open tender, where interested service providers that met HDB’s stipulated criteria could bid.
SP Group submitted a bid, HDB said, but it eventually decided to award the contract to Keppel instead.
Tengah will have five districts when completed. The first is Plantation District and the second, Garden District, is currently under development.
As of November 2024, more than 8,000 flats in the two districts have been completed – nearly 40 per cent of the 23,000 flats offered in Tengah to date. As of Nov 15, 7,921 households have collected their keys.
