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Fairprice Group Expands Solar Power Capacity with ENGIE to Generate Over 2,000 MWh of Clean Energy a Year

04 July 2024, Singapore – FairPrice Group (FPG) and ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, today announced an extension to their ongoing partnership to enhance solar power capabilities across FPG's properties in Singapore. This latest project marks a significant milestone in FPG’s seven-year collaboration with ENGIE, and will add a 1.6 megawatt peak (MWp) to FPG's renewable energy capacity.

Expanding on FPG’s existing 50,000 square metres (sqm) of solar panels, equivalent to the area of over 500 four-room HDB flats, the project will reduce FPG’s annual carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions by an additional 786 tonnes. Upon completion, FPG’s solar installations will generate 4.05 MWp of green energy, powering several major facilities, including multiple distribution centres and the corporate headquarters.

Chan Tee Seng, Chief Sustainability Officer, FairPrice Group, shared, “Green technologies are evolving rapidly, and as Singapore’s largest retailer and social enterprise, we have a responsibility to keep pace with this evolution and ensure that sustainability is built into the business. This latest project in our longstanding partnership with global energy leader ENGIE marks a significant milestone on our decarbonisation journey, and our efforts to support the nation’s sustainability agenda.”

Once the solar panel installation project is finished, FPG’s renewable energy initiatives with ENGIE will help it to reduce its CO2e emissions by 1,935 tonnes a year.

Our collaboration with FairPrice Group has grown significantly over the years; the projects completed and those underway demonstrate our shared commitment to sustainability, Thomas Baudlot, Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE South East Asia, added. “In 2024, we are excited to build on our previous solar solution deployments to double FairPrice’s solar capacity. This new milestone reflects the dynamic nature of our partnership and showcases the benefits of a holistic, integrated approach to decarbonisation.”

To meet its ambitious sustainability targets, FPG has ramped up initiatives to drive energy efficiencies across the group in recent years. These include operating and expanding its own solar energy installations, constantly reviewing how energy usage across its operations can be improved, and integrating new renewable technologies into the business.

FPG has been collaborating with ENGIE since 2018 to further its sustainability agenda. The partnership started with ENGIE providing facility management services to FPG, and quickly grew to include a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to deploy a 2.45MWp rooftop solar system at FPG’s headquarters, FairPrice Hub, in 2021.

In 2023, FPG signed a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) agreement with ENGIE to optimise cooling systems – a critical challenge for businesses operating under Singapore’s climate conditions – at FairPrice Hub. Through the 10-year agreement, ENGIE is sustainably delivering 2,700 refrigeration tonnes (RT) of cooling – the equivalent required to cool over 700 four-room HDB flats – across FairPrice Hub’s operations. This initiative enables FPG to save on energy consumption and utility costs, and achieve compliance with Green Mark Standards.

Completed in February 2024, ENGIE integrated cutting-edge smart energy storage solutions with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across FPG’s properties, enabling the penetration of EV charging in a brownfield environment. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that batteries in EV charging stations across FPG’s properties remain at optimal energy levels during both on and off-peak hours, for efficient and reliable operation.

As Singapore’s first retailer with a comprehensive sustainability function, FPG is deeply committed to ensuring sustainable practices across its supply chain and touchpoints. The group’s ongoing efforts towards responsible climate action reflect its dedication to leveraging its scale and size to support the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and the nation’s shift to sustainable energy usage.

SOURCE: ENGIE

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