Singapore tapped as ENGIE's SEA regional hub for energy innovation and tech

Developing capabilities to help the region.

Leading independent power producer ENGIE has chosen Singapore for its green-energy R&D centre of excellence in Southeast Asia.

According to a release from ENGIE, with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), ENGIE Lab Singapore opened recently to act as a regional hub for energy innovation and technology in Southeast Asia.

ENGIE Lab Singapore focuses on three fields: smart energy systems for cities and islands, industrial energy efficiency and gas technologies. It will support and collaborate with the ENGIE entities that are already established in the region.

The teams will manage R&D projects and provide services based on their technological expertise which includes managing new energies, digital systems such as Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile apps, as well as strengthen existing technologies to enhance energy-related infrastructures and energy uses.

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“The opening of the ENGIE Lab Singapore is a key milestone of the development strategy of ENGIE in Southeast Asia to support the transition to low-carbon energy sources,” said Isabelle Kocher, ENGIE Chief Executive Officer.

“Singapore’s dynamic innovation ecosystem and regional connectivity provides the right environment for us to set up this leading-edge R&D centre to develop practical solutions to meet the energy challenges in the region, and will help businesses to maintain their technological excellence.”

With more than 1,600 employees already in Singapore spanning activities in power generation, energy services, energy trading, LNG and research, the formal opening of ENGIE Lab Singapore paves the way for further green energy developments in Singapore and the region, and further partnerships in the field of low-carbon technologies and innovation.

The establishment of ENGIE Lab Singapore follows two years of successful collaboration in the region. Since September 2014, ENGIE has already developed a strong partnership with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) through its energy laboratory “ERI@N”.

Both parties agreed to collaborate on various research and academic training topics and are working on new ways to lead the energy transition through a series of innovative projects.

“We are pleased that ENGIE is growing its activities in Singapore, across the energy services, power generation and energy trading businesses. ENGIE’s decision to establish its first Asia-Pacific research centre in Singapore is testament to our strong base of capabilities that can enable companies to develop, test and commercialise innovative urban solutions to serve Asia and beyond.

We look forward to ENGIE deepening its partnership with Singapore’s research institutes and universities to customise smart city and energy management solutions for the region,” Dr. Beh Swan Gin, Chairman, EDB.

ENGIE Lab Singapore is the latest addition to the strong international R&D network of the Group, which now includes 11 high-level research centres called “ENGIE Labs”, with a total of 1,100 researchers and experts, across all the continents.

The ENGIE Labs worldwide ecosystem continuously brings new added-value to the fast changing global energy market and contributes actively to the innovation strategy of the Group. It is part of “ENGIE Tech”, the new businesses factory of the Group, created in June 2016.