Riding on the time machine and winding the clock back to year 2007 when I attended my internship in Senoko Power Station, Asia Projects Engineering Pte Ltd (APECO) was the maintenance contractor carrying out the overhaul of big equipment and machineries such as the gas turbines. At the time, these machineries seemed too out of reach for me. It was a great eye-opener for me to able to witness the overhauling of these machineries during the major shutdown which happens probably once every 10 years. As I looked at these machineries, they are just a machine, a motor and nothing else. What makes them amazing are the engineers who “engineer” them into useful applications to generate electricity for Singapore. It was these engineers who have spent countless hours on researching, designing and developing new technologies to piece these machineries together bringing them to greater heights. Engineers – the CREATOR of technologies (I believe)!
Embarking on the title of the first female engineer in APECO since June 2008 as a fresh graduate from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; I am determined to learn from basic by building a strong foundation and slowly, eventually leading me to the top of the mountain. I begin my career in APECO with my first project, District Cooling Network (DCN). Being an apprentice, I am thankful for the help rendered by my colleagues and the valuable hands-on trainings they have taught me. I was fortunate to be involved in subsequent projects in a few power plants, from building oil storage tanks and its ancillaries to a repowering project involving the conversion from only steam firing to combined cycle firing plants. The knowledge gained was beyond textbook theories and the involvement provides a comprehensive exposure on the combination of machineries into a Combined Cycle Plant (CCP) having the flexibility of steam and gas firing to strike a balance between both cost and energy efficiencies. As the market evolves towards greener and more sustainable technology, the government started its initiative to convert waste into usable energy. Research was established between local bodies and APECO was honoured to be part of this project. The first half of my career in APECO provides me with the hands-on exposure and builds up my technical knowledge on the power generation technologies, including Steam Power Plants, Gas Powered Combined Cycle Plants, and Waste-to-Energy Plants.
The second half of my career in APECO encompasses on projects in the industrial hubs of Jurong Island from rubber plants to rock caverns facilities and back to district cooling project. Having the opportunity to lead the successful implementation of the AMK District Cooling Plant, the largest industrial district cooling plant in Singapore to date, has broaden my horizon in both traditional and sustainable energy solutions.
The 18 years journey in APECO transforms me from an apprentice to a Project Manager; although the journey has been extremely tough and difficult, it has provided me with the best platform to train myself to be resilient and the courage to overcome all obstacles. “No Pain, No Gain”! Every day is a learning journey for me and even until today, I am still learning… to be a better engineer and a better leader!
A door leading me to greater heights in the upcoming YEAR 2026!
