Keppel breaks ground for mixed-use development Seasons City and inks joint venture to pursue the building, owning and operation of a water reclamation plant in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City

                    

Tianjin, 17 April 2011 – Singapore’s Senior Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong today graced the groundbreaking ceremony of Keppel’s Seasons City in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (Tianjin Eco-City) and witnessed the signing of a joint venture agreement between Keppel Integrated Engineering Limited (KIE) and Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (TECID), to pursue the building, owning and operation of a water reclamation plant in the Eco-City. 

 

The Keppel Group leads the Singapore Consortium in the 50/50 joint venture with the Chinese Consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co, Ltd, to develop the          Tianjin Eco-City.  In addition, Keppel is also developing its own 36.6-ha site in the Eco-City’s            Start-Up Area (SUA). Keppel Corporation and Keppel Land hold interests of 45% and 55% respectively in this site.

 

Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, who was present at the groundbreaking ceremony, said, “Keppel, with its unique combination of core competencies in environmental engineering, and integrated property and township development, provides a holistic solution for sustainable development and urban living.

 

“We will build on these strengths with our participation in the Tianjin Eco-City envisioned to be a showcase and model in sustainable development and which serves as an important platform for furthering Keppel’s growth in China.”

 

Seasons City

 

Officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony on site for Seasons City together with Senior Minister Goh were distinguished guests from Tianjin which includes Mr He Lifeng, Deputy Party Secretary of the Communist Party of China Tianjin Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Work Committee and Director-General of Tianjin Binhai New Area Administrative Committee, Singapore’s Ambassador to China, BG Chin Siat Yoon, Dr Lee Boon Yang and Mr Teo Soon Hoe, Senior Executive Director and Group Finance Director of Keppel Corporation.

 

Located within the Keppel Group’s 36.6-ha site, Seasons City comprises three office towers, retail premises and serviced apartments with a total Gross Floor Area of about 254,398 sqm.

 

To be developed in phases, the first phase of Seasons City comprises an office development of about 20,000 sm gfa and retail premises of another 20,000 sm gfa. The office tower, Keppel Eco-Centre, will be built according to the highest Platinum standard of the Tianjin Eco-City’s Green Building Evaluation Standard (GBES).

 

“Leveraging Keppel Land’s extensive experience of having developed many landmark and prime office developments in Singapore’s business and financial district, we will create vibrant, integrated and quality live-work-play environments which can meet the demand of international tenants looking to participate in the rapid growth of Tianjin and Northern China. 

 

“Seasons City is also the first commercial development to roll out under Keppel Land China and we are looking into opportunities in other cities as well to build up our commercial portfolio,” said Mr Ang Wee Gee, Executive Vice Chairman of Keppel Land China.

 

Keppel Land China, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Group’s property arm Keppel Land Limited, is the project manager for the Keppel development in the Eco-City. It has drawn together a pool of internationally renowned consultants and experts for Seasons City which include architectural firm Palmer & Turner Consultants; sustainable solutions provider Rocky Mountain Institute; engineering consultant Parsons Brinkerhoff and landscape consultant, AECOM.

 

Seasons City is the commercial component of the Keppel development which also comprises Seasons Park, its first collection of some 1,672 eco-homes. Since its launch in end-October 2010, Seasons Park has been positively received with over 72% of 701 units launched sold as at end-March 2011.

 

Eco-Friendly Features in Seasons City

 

DESCRIPTION	BENEFITS
ENERGY-EFFICIENCY FEATURES
High-efficiency lighting using LED for façade lighting and T5 fluorescent indoor lighting,	Estimated energy savings of 1,249,152 kwh per year
Solar heating system that fulfils 70% of the buildings’ requirements
Solar photovoltaic power generation system for the public area lighting
Passenger elevator with regenerative drive system
Low-emissive glass and provision of shading
High energy efficient air conditioning  and ventilation system
WATER-EFFICIENT FEATURES
Rainwater harvesting system to collect rainwater for irrigation and non-potable uses	Estimated water savings of 8,033 m3  per year
Water saving taps and cisterns
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT QUALITY-EFFICENT FEATURES
Use of CO2 and CO/NO2 monitoring system to control the ventilation rate of offices and carpark respectively	Provide alarm signal when poor air quality/high pollutant concentration is detected

 

 

Water Reclamation Plant

 

At a separate ceremony, Senior Minister Goh also witnessed the signing of a joint venture agreement between Keppel Integrated Engineering Limited (KIE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited, and Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (TECID) to pursue the building, owning and operation of a water reclamation plant in the Tianjin Eco-City.

The joint venture company will be 40% held by KIE and 60% held by TECID, with a total investment value of RMB 300 million. The proposed water reclamation plant will include a wastewater effluent polishing unit with capacity of 100,000 m³ per day and a water recycling facility that will produce 20,000 m³ per day of recycled water initially, with the possibility to increase the capacity of recycled water to 42,000 m³ per day.

 

The water reclamation plant will serve the entire Tianjin Eco-City, upgrading treated wastewater effluent from an existing wastewater treatment plant to meet the most stringent national standards for wastewater discharge and also produce high quality recycled water.  

 

The recycled water will be suitable for reuse in a number of non-potable applications such as landscaping, parks and golf courses irrigation, as well as in various industrial applications such as cooling water, dust control and construction activities. The recycled water from the plant hence provides an additional source of water, reducing overall demand on fresh water and alleviating water scarcity challenges in North China.

BG (NS) Tay Lim Heng, CEO of KIE, said, “This win-win partnership will synergise TECID’s experience in the development and construction of Tianjin Eco-City with KIE’s advanced technologies and wide experience in wastewater treatment and water recycling.

“We look forward to contribute towards the growth of the water resource and wastewater management industry in the Binhai New District and to further strengthen our track record in China.”

 

The above joint venture agreement is not expected to have material impact on the net tangible assets and earnings per share of Keppel Corporation Limited for the current financial year.

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About Tianjin Eco-City

The Tianjin Eco-City is a landmark bilateral project between China and Singapore with private-sector investment and development. Located in the Tianjin Binhai New Area (40 km away from Tianjin city centre), the 30-sq km Tianjin Eco-City is envisioned to create a harmonious and sustainable community that meets the needs of an urbanising China and will be a modern township where 350,000 residents can live, work and play. When completed, the 4-sq km SUA will be home to 26,500 households, with the first batch of residents expected to move in around 2012.

 

 

About Keppel Land

Keppel Land aims to be the premier multi-national corporation providing urban living solutions through its twin core businesses of property development and property fund management.

 

With keen market knowledge, strong network and proven track record, Keppel Land is one of Asia leading property developers with a sterling portfolio of award-winning residential and waterfront developments, integrated townships and investment-grade commercial properties.

Keppel Land has a strong pipeline of more than 70,000 homes in the Middle East and across Asia to tap on the demand for quality housing and residential townships. 

 

Keppel Land, growing with China since early 1990s, has expanded its footprint in key gateway cities and second-tier cities. To further strengthen this focus, wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Land China Limited has been established to own and operate all of Keppel Land’s properties in the country.

 

Through extensive experience in masterplanning and developing large-scale developments such as integrated townships and prime residential developments, Keppel Land will contribute to urban living solutions in rising demand in China. It is developing environmentally responsible residential townships in the fast growing cities of Chengdu, Wuxi and Shenyang.

 

About Keppel Integrated Engineering Limited

Keppel Integrated Engineering Limited (KIE) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation Limited, a leading mainboard listed conglomerate in Singapore.

KIE is a leading provider of comprehensive and integrated environmental solutions ranging from consultancy, design and engineering, technology development, and the construction, operations and maintenance of facilities. Its advanced technology solutions address a wide spectrum of environmental issues such as solid waste, wastewater, drinking and process water, and sludge.

 

In water treatment, KIE has more than 30 years of experience, having implemented more than 350 water and wastewater treatment projects to date. KIE is currently building what will be the largest integrated wastewater treatment, water reuse and sludge treatment plant in Qatar when completed.

 

Besides environmental engineering, KIE also offers an integrated range of expertise from facilities management, heating and cooling services to construction, fabrication and maintenance services for industrial structures and equipment.

 

In 2010, Keppel DHCS Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary KIE, set up a joint venture with Tianjin Eco-City Energy Investment and Construction Co., Ltd to provide district heating and cooling system in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.

 

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Teri Liew (Ms)
Deputy General Manager
Group Corporate Communications
Keppel Corporation
China Mobile: (86) 138-2195-3623

Singapore Mobile: (65) 9686 4038
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

 

This press release is also available at www.kepcorp.com, www.keppelland.com.sg and www.kie.com.sg.