IT might seem odd for a power company to help its customers save power - but that is exactly what Tuas Power Supply is doing from Friday.

The power generation company will give free preliminary energy audits to its customers, and foot half the bill of any further detailed audits taken by the company. This will be in the form of rebates in their customers' monthly power bills.

Local property giant City Developments (CDL) is the programme's first beneficiary.

Mr Chia Ngiang Hong, CDL's group general manager said they were 'excited' to have signed up five of their buildings to the scheme, which include Palais Renaissance at Orchard and Central Mall Office at Magazine Road.

Energy audits for these five buildings are estimated to cost up to $320,000 - and half of this will come from Tuas Power Supply, said Mr Chia.

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, who attended the Tuas Power Supply Green Programme?s launch at Republic Plaza on Friday, commended the company's innovative efforts even though she noted that it seemed 'counter-intuitive' for a power company to help its customers 'go green'.

Chief executive Lim Kong Puay of Tuas Power, which owns Tuas Power Supply, said the company hoped to build long-standing relationships with its customers by offering value-added services like the Green Programme.

The scheme will last for two years, and is extended to all of Tuas Power's customers. Mr Lim said the cost of the programme is not clear yet, and that the company will continue to look at other ways of improving energy efficiency.