Episode 3: How Utilities are Powering the Shift to Lower-Carbon Future Future

01:16 | Preparing the grid for changing energy needs

SP Group serves approximately 1.7 million industrial, commercial and residential customers in Singapore. As electricity demand grows and the energy mix evolves, SP Group must prepare its grid to accommodate more diverse, lower-carbon energy sources. The priority is to support Singapore's growth while maintaining reliable supply.

02:43 | Making reliability central to sustainability

A resilient grid is essential to the energy transition. It enables the integration of more solar energy, battery storage and electric vehicles while maintaining reliable electricity supply. This stability provides an important foundation for deploying these technologies at scale.

05:04 | Improving energy efficiency through district cooling

Energy efficiency is another important part of sustainability. Well-designed district cooling systems can reduce energy consumption by optimising cooling demand across buildings. At STMicroelectronics' Ang Mo Kio TechnoPark, SP Group's system is expected to cut cooling-related electricity use by 20 percent.

07:08 | Scaling sustainable solutions across Asia

Asia's diverse energy markets require solutions tailored to local conditions. Scaling projects may also require collaboration among governments, regulators, customers, technology providers and financiers. These partnerships can help move projects from pilot stages to wider deployment.

09:24 | Connecting energy systems for a resilient future

Greater connectivity can expand access to lower-carbon energy and help balance supply and demand. But physical connections alone are not enough. Coordinated planning and common standards are also needed to ensure reliable electricity flows between systems. This can help businesses grow and communities thrive.

About our guest

Michelle Lee is Head of Sustainability at SP Group. The company is a leading utilities provider in the Asia-Pacific region that owns and operates electricity and gas transmission and distribution networks in Singapore and Australia. She leads SP Group’s sustainability strategy and supports the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations across the business.

Ms Lee has more than 15 years of sustainability experience across the energy, logistics and real estate sectors. She has held regional and group leadership roles in organisational sustainability strategy. Her expertise spans climate strategy, responsible growth, resilience planning and sustainability reporting. She has led sustainability planning for urban regeneration projects and real estate portfolios. Some of these assets achieved leading GRESB benchmark positions.

Ms Lee also contributes to industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives that support sustainable supply chains and corporate responsibility. Her involvement in national initiatives includes the Alliance for Action on Corporate Purpose. She also co-led the Alliance for Action on Packaging Waste Reduction for the e-commerce sector. These efforts have supported cross-sector collaboration on sustainability challenges.