Singha Estate Public Company Limited has launched the "S Ang Thong" project, an eco-industrial park for food and related businesses, aiming to become a World Food Valley. The project promotes the concept of Enriching Tomorrow, creating value and sustainability for all lives through environmentally friendly businesses, community support, and social responsibility, while fostering a circular economy in line with Singha Estate's sustainable development practices. The company plans to start recognizing revenue this year, with a goal to sell out the project within six years, generating total revenue of over 4 billion baht and recurring income of at least 150 million baht annually in the long term.

Ms. Thitima Rungkwansiriroj, CEO of Singha Estate Public Company Limited, stated that the company has been engaged in real estate development since 2014 and has continuously grown under a strategy of diversifying investments to create variety across four interconnected business groups. This has allowed the company to consistently generate good returns. Currently, the company’s business structure is divided into four groups, both domestically and internationally, including residential, hotel, office leasing and retail, and most recently, industrial estates and infrastructure.

The industrial estate and infrastructure segment of Singha Estate is divided into three parts:

1) Infrastructure business: Covers electricity generation, energy, engineering services, and various innovations.
2) Power plant business: Joint ventures operating three power plants with a total capacity of over 400 megawatts, with about 70% of the electricity sold under a 25-year contract with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The company will recognize its performance through profit-sharing from joint ventures.
3) Industrial estate: Creating an industrial park that provides sustainable value to customers, communities, and society, enhancing the quality of life and promoting economic potential.

Ms. Thitima also discussed the origin of this eco-industrial park, noting that Thailand is currently in a phase of turning crises into opportunities to address global food security and aims to become one of the top 10 exporting countries, in line with the Ministry of Industry's Phase 1 action plan for food processing industry development. Currently, there is a demand for industrial estates designed to support food and related businesses, prompting Singha Estate to see the opportunity to develop an industrial park in Ang Thong, a province with high potential as it is a central hub for important food raw materials in Thailand and offers convenient transportation of raw materials from the northern and upper central regions to the country's main distribution centers. Additionally, Ang Thong is well-equipped with facilities such as hospitals, schools, shopping areas, and a large workforce to meet the needs of entrepreneurs.

Regarding the development approach for the S Ang Thong industrial estate, Mr. Kamjorn Leeprapanakul, Managing Director of S.I.F. Company Limited, added that the project is designed to support the food industry and related businesses on a 1,776-rai area located along Asia Road, Km. 63, Chai Phum Subdistrict, Chaiyo District, Ang Thong Province, just an hour and a half from the airport and transport port. It is equipped with sufficient, stable, and environmentally friendly infrastructure, particularly three combined heat and power plants with a total capacity of over 400 megawatts, along with a 22 KV and 115 KV power supply system to support businesses with high and stable electricity demands, as well as other utilities such as water, natural gas, and alternative energy. The project also features a retail area to maximize convenience for entrepreneurs, employees, and the general public. The total project area is 1,776 rai, with 993 rai designated for sale, 34 rai for commercial space with complete facilities, 148 rai for green space, 214 rai for utilities, and 384 rai for a reservoir capable of storing 6.12 million cubic meters of water. The light industrial area of 393 rai is zoned around the project for business flexibility, while the food industry and related business area of 600 rai is zoned close to the steam energy source to save on energy costs.

Importantly, the S Ang Thong industrial estate aims to create sustainable value for society and enhance the quality of life in the community by applying the concept of “Enriching Tomorrow” in its development through infrastructure and low-carbon energy systems suitable for the food industry and related businesses, covering:

Low-carbon energy sources addressing future challenges (Climate change mitigation)

  • A sufficient and highly stable electricity system from three combined heat and power plants with a total capacity of over 400 megawatts, with 70% of the electricity sold to EGAT and 30% adequately supporting customers in the estate, importantly, generated from clean technology.
  • High-quality raw water of over 6.12 million cubic meters in a 384-rai area, sufficient to support production for customers in the estate, using an ultrafiltration system that filters impurities down to 0.1 microns, ensuring high-quality, clean water suitable for the food industry.
  • Stable and low-carbon steam energy, which, in addition to electricity from the power plant, can also be supplied to operators in the estate, offering lower costs and stability.
  • Clean energy produced from solar cells, with the estate having space ready for floating solar installations in the reservoir or common areas to support operators aiming for NET ZERO, providing future opportunities for exports, reducing carbon tax (CBAM), and increasing access to Green Finance.

Waste management and responsible reuse systems

  • Co-Generation Power Plant technology in the electricity production process that minimizes waste, reduces carbon emissions while maintaining high energy efficiency.
  • A water system that can be used efficiently without impacting surrounding communities, capable of producing industrial water independently and recycling water for reuse, along with appropriate sludge management systems.
  • Over 148 rai of green space that helps reduce dust and absorbs over 148 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
  • A flood prevention system and barriers up to 10.5 meters above sea level, with an efficient drainage system that importantly does not impact surrounding communities.

Promoting quality of life and community economy

  • Promoting the economy and generating income for the community, with the project expected to create over 5,000 jobs in the estate and stimulate income for surrounding areas.
  • Creating recreational spaces, modern lifestyles, and supporting the local economy with shops and creative activities in the 34-rai commercial area.
  • Establishing a learning center on rice and promoting local culture, as well as sharing space to support the sale of local products.

In addition to the comprehensive facilities suitable for the aforementioned food industrial estate, transportation within the project is also convenient, with main roads designed with four lanes and a width of 35 meters for safety, along with high-speed Internet (FTTx) and IoT networks, and comprehensive telecommunications networks with CCTV systems for security. The green space of over 148 rai also serves as a recreational area for people in the project, promoting a sustainable quality of life.

Regarding the business plan for the S Ang Thong industrial estate, Ms. Thitima revealed that the company plans to sell the entire industrial estate area within six years, valued at over 4 billion baht, while preparing to receive recurring income of over 150 million baht annually. In 2022, the target is to sell 15% of the total area, equivalent to 149 rai, valued at over 500 million baht, with preparations underway to recognize revenue from the sale of 78 rai to B. Grimm Power Ang Thong 2 and 3 within the third quarter of 2022.

The overall economy is beginning to improve after the COVID-19 situation, which is expected to positively impact sales in the industrial estate. Surveys indicate that industrial estate land prices are rising, especially in central provinces, leading to confidence that the eco-industrial estate S Ang Thong will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs, particularly in the food industry and related businesses.