Keppel Limited, through its infrastructure division, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which explores options to expand its upcoming district cooling system (DCS) plant in Jurong Lake District to meet Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Jurong Community Hospital’s (JCH) water needs, according to a June 5 release.

Under the MOU, an exploratory study will include the DCS plant’s supply and service coverage of chilled water for the two hospitals. If both sides come to an agreement, the hospitals will be integrated with Keppel’s 29,000 Refrigerant Tons DCS plant.

The hospitals currently rely on a centralised chilled water supply to cool operating theatres, intensive care units and medical equipment round-the-clock, as well as standby chillers and energy storage solutions in the case of disruptions. According to Keppel, the DCS is intended to complement and further optimise the existing energy efficiency measures at the healthcare facilities.

Ng Kian Swan, chief sustainability officer of NTFGH and JCH, said that the collaboration could “set a new benchmark in the healthcare sector”, marking the first time the DCS has been implemented in a redevelopment.

It uses thermal energy storage and intelligent controls to optimise energy use, minimising costs and carbon footprint. The systems are also designed to deliver reliable and consistent cooling temperature, paramount for patient care.

“This could in turn, free up some of the hospital's rooftop and plant room space, which are occupied by cooling towers and standby chillers, for other meaningful activities such as patient care and therapy,” adds Associate Professor Dan Yock Young, chief executive officer of both hospitals.

Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel’s infrastructure division, notes that advanced cooling for large-scale developments and mission-critical sectors requires “strong engineering and operating capabilities”.

“By exploring the integration of NTFGH and JCH into Keppel’s new district cooling plant in the Jurong Lake District, we can help the hospital campus to reduce its energy intensity as well as to enhance the availability and operational resilience and long-term reliability of the interconnected cooling infrastructure,” she says.

As at 3:24 pm, shares in Keppel are trading 13 cents higher or 1.9% up at $6.96.