SP Group explained

Singapore Power Limited
Trade Name:	SP Group
Type:	State-owned
Foundation:	(as Singapore Power) (as SP Group)^[1]
Parent:	Temasek Holdings^[2]

Singapore Power Limited, doing business as SP Group (abbreviation: SP) is a state-owned electricity and gas distribution company in Singapore. SP Group is the corporatised entity of the former electricity and gas departments of the Public Utilities Board (PUB). SP Group was first incorporated as a commercial entity on 1 October 1995 as Singapore Power and Gas to take over the electricity and gas businesses of the state provider, PUB.

Through its subsidiaries, the company is the sole electrical grid and gas grid operator in the country, and provides electricity and gas transmission, distribution services, and market support services to more than a million households in Singapore.

History

PUB was located initially at City Hall. After outgrowing its office space in City Hall, the PUB Building, located near Singapore's main shopping belt of Orchard Road, was built to accommodate several departments of the PUB.^[3]

The PUB Building was completed in 1977; construction cost S$32 million. It was renamed as the Singapore Power Building, after PUB's electricity and gas operations were corporatised to Singapore Power on 1 October 1995.^[4] The Singapore Power Building was renovated in 2006, when Singapore Power chose not to redevelop its corporate headquarters. Instead, it opted to refurbish and reclad the building in silvery metal.^[5]

Since 1995, SP Group has been wholly owned by Singapore investment fund Temasek which in turn is wholly owned by the Singapore government.^[6]

On 29 January 2007, PUB moved out of the building to join its parent ministry, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, at the Environment Building on Scotts Road.^{[7] [8]}

The company was renamed "SP Group" from 28 February 2017 onwards.^[9] SP Group relocated its main office building to Kallang in 2017. It operates a single Customer Service Centre in Toa Payoh.

Structure

Subsidiaries

• SP Services – Provides integrated customer billing services for electricity, water and piped gas supplies in Singapore. It holds the nation's Market Support Services License to provide meter reading services, meter data management, and facilitates customers' transfer from the regulated tariff to the Open Electricity Market retailers, or to the wholesale electricity market.
• SP Digital
• SP PowerGas – The sole licensed gas transporter and gas system operator, transporting both natural gas and town gas. It owns and operates all the gas pipelines in Singapore and is responsible for delivering gas to users through its gas pipe network. It operates a town gas system as well as a natural gas system which is transmitted from Sumatra.
• SP PowerAssets – The sole provider of electricity transmission and distribution services in Singapore. It holds the Transmission License and owns the electricity transmission and distribution Network of Singapore including major transmission and distribution assets like substations and underground cables with an approximate network value of S$6.5billion (as at 31 Mar 6)
• SP PowerGrid – Manages the nation's electricity transmission network and the operation of the distribution network.
• Singapore Institute of Power and Gas – A training institute setup in 2014 to train workers in the industry with collaboration between the Union of Power and Gas Employees, the industry and government agencies.^[10]

Major joint ventures

• Power Automation – a joint-venture company set up by SP Group with Siemens in July 1995 to offer engineering services in protection systems, substation control and energy management and information systems across Asia Pacific.
• Singapore District Cooling – a joint-venture company set up by SP Group with Dalkia in September 2000 as a partner to implement the pilot District Cooling project at Marina South New Downtown. District Cooling is an urban utility service involving the centralised production of chilled water for distribution to commercial buildings for air-conditioning purposes.

Other investments

• AusNet Services – Through its wholly owned subsidiary Singapore Power International Pte Ltd, SP Group owns a 31.1% stake in AusNet Services. AusNet Services's assets include electricity transmission and distribution networks, and gas distribution assets in Victoria, Australia. AusNet Services is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the Singapore Exchange (SGX).^[11]
• SPI Seosan Co-generation and Water Treatment – SP Group's investment in South Korea provides electricity, steam and water treatment services to Samsung Total Petrochemicals Co Ltd, one of the largest petrochemical companies in Korea.
• EverPower IPP – SP Group's investment in Taiwan comprises a 25% stake in Ever Power IPP Company, an independent power producer, which supplies electricity to Taiwan Power Company.

Incidents

Following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Australia, over 600 victims signed a class action lawsuit against SPI Electricity Pty Ltd, the electricity distribution company of SP AusNet, an Australian energy company that was 51% owned by then Singapore Power.^[12] The lawsuit alleged negligence and breach of duty in the service and maintenance of powerlines controlled by them in the state of Victoria. In particular, the lawsuit alleged the power company negligently failed to fit a protective device on the power line, alleging that it contributed to it breaking and starting a bushfire in the Kilmore East area on 7 February 2009.^[13]

See also

• Singapore Power Building

External links

• • SP AusNet Website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Transforming to serve customers better . SP Group . 28 February 2017 . 22 September 2019.
2. Web site: Transportation & Industrials . 2022-09-06 . Temasek Corporate Website English . en.
3. • Book: Wong Yunn Chii. Singapore 1:1 City: A Gallery of Architecture & Urban Design. Urban Redevelopment Authority. 2005. 981-05-4467-7. Singapore.
4. News: 23 September 1995. PUB to split into three entities from Oct 1. 2. The Business Times.
5. News: Calvin Low. 4 August 2007. Staying Power. L16, L17. The Straits Times.
6. Web site: Maiden. Malcolm. China's State Grid powers up in Australia. 17 May 2013 . 11 August 2016. en-US.
7. Web site: 26 January 2007. Under one roof at Environment Building. https://web.archive.org/web/20070607011415/http://pub.gov.sg/info_center/press_release26012007.aspx. 7 June 2007. 21 September 2019. PUB.
8. News: 27 January 2007. Singapore Roundup: PUB moves to Environment Building. The Business Times.
9. Web site: 28 February 2017. Transforming to serve customers better. SP Group. 22 September 2019.
10. Web site: New $20 Million Training Fund For Power Sector . 2023-08-28 . www.ema.gov.sg . en.
11. Web site: 国家电网完成澳大利亚配电配气资产收购 . 2022-06-17 . finance.sina.com.cn.
12. Web site: 19 June 2010 . Singapore Power says it's not a defendant in lawsuit over Australian bushfire . https://web.archive.org/web/20100622115542/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_singapore/view/1064286/1/.html . 22 June 2010 . . 23 March 2012.
13. Web site: 19 June 2010 . Hundreds sign for bushfire class action . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100623001848/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/1072983/hundreds-sign-for-bushfire-class-action . 23 June 2010 . 23 March 2012 . Ninemsn.