Welcome Remarks by Chairman, JTC Corporation, Dr Loo Choon Yong at the Opening Ceremony of Cleantech One

Minister Lim Hng Kiang,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

INTRODUCTION
We are standing here today amidst a transforming environment, one in which creative energies come together to germinate new ideas and technologies in a lush green setting, and one in which you will find new, environmentally-friendly buildings integrating seamlessly with nature. It is indeed my pleasure to welcome all of you to the official opening of CleanTech One, the first iconic building in CleanTech Park.

CLEANTECH PARK – THE VALUE PROPOSITION
The master plan for CleanTech Park was unveiled in February 2010. The Park was envisioned to play a vital role in supporting Singapore’s emphasis on the emerging cleantech sector by creating a community comprising businesses, practitioners, academia, and government agencies. Through co-locating these entities, we seek to promote cross-fertilisation and collaboration in areas of cleantech and sustainability.

The unique characteristics of the cleantech industry in Singapore necessitate the provision of specialised infrastructure to catalyse collaborations and innovation, and CleanTech One was thus conceptualised. In the development of CleanTech One, we ensured that the specialised features and functional spaces provided will suit these needs and help seed the growth of cleantech R&D.

I am happy to note that our efforts have borne fruit right at the onset. Today, CleanTech One is home to a good mix of cleantech corporations and public research institutes, forming a vibrant cleantech ecosystem. This nascent community has already ignited collaborations and strategic alliances between industry partners.

CleanTech Park’s next-door neighbour, NTU, for example, has already signed on as the anchor tenant of CleanTech One, and has located some of its cleantech R&D activities here. 22 have also chosen to locate in CleanTech One to collaborate in green R&D. For example, private companies such as DHI Water & Environment, the Toray Water Technology Laboratory, and Yingli Green Energy have sealed partnerships with the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute¹, and the Energy Research Institute at NTU².

With all these companies coming together, CleanTech One has become a bustling focal point for more than 800 green-collar workers who are passionate about Singapore’s cleantech future. CleanTech Park’s location at the forefront of the largest manufacturing node in Singapore, comprising Jurong Industrial Estate and Tuas, provides a strategic linkage between academia and business, and this linkage will enable cleantech research to be translated into industry-relevant applications.

With this encouraging beginning, CleanTech One is now well placed to serve as a living laboratory to test-bed and showcase yet-to-be-commercialised solutions. I am pleased to share that JTC has funded 14 test-beds projects under the CleanTech Park Living Lab Programme, which provides the platform for companies to test-bed green solutions. One example of an urban solution being test-bedded here include a 1-megawatt fuel cell plant by Real Time Engineering, a homegrown SME and a tenant and partner of JTC. This unique power plant converts renewable biomass into electricity, thus lowering costs and creating clean energy.

CLEANTECH ONE – ENDENGERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As the nation’s industrial infrastructure developer, JTC will continue to foster industry clustering and drawing on our leadership, expertise and experience in a new era of sustainable development. This building we are in today is a Green Mark Platinum development that, if you closely observe, incorporates green features such as perforated cladding, vertical greenery and perimeter corridors. Sustainability is a key driver of JTC’s innovative culture, and we will ride on the momentum of CleanTech One’s success to create and nurture a green business community and environment through a series of green policies and programmes.

CLEANTECH PARK – BEGINNING A NEW CHAPTER
Today’s event is only the beginning of JTC’s journey in designing sustainable developments in CleanTech Park. As CleanTech One continues to be the wellspring of growth, JTC will continue expanding its innovation capacity by engaging students from NUS, SUTD and NTU in the conceptualisation of the next landmark building in CleanTech Park.

CLOSING REMARKS
I am confident that CleanTech One, with its design, location and cleantech community, is well-positioned to attract talent and companies in the CleanTech industry. I am very excited to be here today, as I feel we are witnessing the beginning of many innovations that will come out of this community. We would like to thank all our partners who have supported the development of CleanTech One. Last but not least, a big thank you to our customers who have made this building their home.

It is now my honour to invite our Minister for Trade & Industry to address us. Mr Lim Hng Kiang, please.

¹ Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI)
² Energy Research Institute at NTU (ERI@N)

Source: JTC Corporation