Singapore’s largest industrial district cooling system begins operations to support STMicroelectronics’ decarbonisation strategy

This press release was jointly issued by STMicroelectronics and SP Group.

• Designed, built, owned and operated by a joint venture between SP Group and Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore), the innovative district cooling system will significantly improve the environmental performance of ST’s high-volume semiconductor manufacturing site in Singapore
• New system expected to reduce carbon emissions by 120,000 tonnes per year, cooling- related electricity costs by 20 percent each year, and repurposing over half a million cubic meters of water consumption per year

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, and SP Group (SP), a leading utilities group in the Asia Pacific and Singapore’s national grid operator, have commenced operations for Singapore’s largest industrial district cooling system at STMicroelectronics’ (ST) Ang Mo Kio TechnoPark. The event was inaugurated by Ms. Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

The system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 120,000 tonnes per year and enable 20 per cent savings on cooling-related electricity consumption. It will also repurpose over half a million cubic meters of water each year by using reject reverse osmosis water, previously used in ST Cooling Towers, to support the new district cooling operations.

This marks ST’s first use of district cooling at a manufacturing facility and will strengthen ST’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2027.

Technical information about the district cooling system

Designed, built, owned, and operated by a joint venture between SP and Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore), the system has an installed capacity of up to 36,000 refrigeration tonnes (RT). It delivers continuous chilled water to cool both manufacturing and office spaces via a centralised closed-loop pipe network replacing individual chillers in each building. The total area served by the system is approximately 90,000 square metres.

Chillers in series counterflow configuration reduce the energy required to cool the water. This ensures an efficient and reliable 24/7 operation, with remote monitoring capabilities augmenting the operations team on site to come.

Additionally, the new installations free up around 4,000 square metres of space at Ang Mo Kio TechnoPark, which will enable ST to install other equipment contributing to environmental impact mitigation. This includes perfluorocarbon (PFC) abatement equipment, with near-future plans for additional water reclamation systems and volatile organic compounds (VOC) abatement as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts.

The project achieved over 2 million accident-free man hours, underscoring the commitment to safety during construction. The district cooling plant has been awarded the Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy certification by the Building and Construction Authority for its exceptional energy efficiency and sustainable design. Incorporating whole-life carbon assessments during design and construction of the plant also enabled a reduction of about 44 percent in embodied carbon compared to industrial building benchmarks, achieved through optimised material choices and system design to further lower the plant’s carbon footprint.

Further collaboration between STMicroelectronics and SP Group

To accelerate its decarbonisation roadmap, ST has also partnered with SP to upgrade the cooling system at its Toa Payoh site. Under a 20-year chilled-water-as-a-service agreement, SP will design, build, operate, and maintain a new high-efficiency chiller system, scheduled for completion by December 2025. The system will improve energy efficiency and aims to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 2,140 tonnes annually.

In addition to sustainable cooling solutions, ST and SP are implementing a range of sustainable technologies across ST’s Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh campuses. This includes the deployment of the energy management information system (EMIS), comprising 2,400 smart electricity meters and multi-utility sensors. With SP’s smart metering infrastructure in place, ST can monitor its overall energy consumption – enabling data-driven decisions that enhance efficiency and sustainability.

SP has also implemented smart water meters that track water inflow to five of ST’s buildings. This provides ST with an accurate view of its water consumption, allowing the organisation to enhance its critical wafer fabrication operations by ensuring greater water efficiency.

Together, the partnership delivers on a shared vision for a smarter, cleaner energy future through integrated digitalisation and decarbonisation at scale.