ECONOMIC SAVINGS FOR THE COMPANY

When asked how cost-effective it would be to have a hydrogen turbine rather than a regular gas turbine, Mr Ng said the Jurong Island power station “might cost slightly more” due to its capacity and operation as a hydrogen-ready facility.

“But the efficiencies that you actually get from that plant, plus the fact that it generates less carbon dioxide, will result in savings for the company,” he added.

“For example, if efficiency is improved by 10 percent, that means your dollar per value from just a pure efficiency gain can actually give you an improvement of about 15 percent or so.”

Along the same lines, Mr Ng said the company could also reduce its carbon emissions by 17 per cent per dollar per megatonne of electricity.

“With the carbon tax savings that we have to pay, and also with less fuel to produce the same unit of electricity, I think there will be savings for the general public as a whole,” he said. added.

The upcoming plant will initially have the capacity to use up to 50 percent hydrogen and 50 percent natural gas for electricity generation. It can be upgraded to be powered entirely by hydrogen in the future.

In terms of jobs, Mr Ng said this was an “ongoing concern” for the company.

He stressed that when a new factory comes up, the company must ensure that new, competent workers are ready to fill the position, while taking into account existing employees whose jobs will be made redundant.

To help those who worked on YTL PowerSeraya’s recently decommissioned open-cycle gas turbine on Jurong Island, the company retrained them to work in the upcoming power plant, Mr Ng said.

“It’s actually very, very important for us to try to minimize any potential disruption to our workers’ livelihoods, ensuring that our workers are retrained and upskilled quickly, so that they are all ready for the new factory,” he said. added.