SINGAPORE - Singapore's Jurong Island oil hub will be transformed into an energy and chemicals park that operates sustainably and exports its sustainable products globally, said Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday (Nov 23).
The plan envisages Singapore's energy and chemical (E&C) sector increasing its output of sustainable products by four times from 2019 levels, as well as achieving more than six million tonnes of carbon abatement per annum from low-carbon solutions by 2050.
Mr Gan announced the Sustainable Jurong Island plan at the groundbreaking ceremony of a Shell plant on Pulau Bukom that will turn hard-to-recycle plastic waste into an oil used as a feedstock for petrochemicals.
The Shell plant is the first project in step with the sustainability ambitions for the Jurong Island that were initially announced in the Green Economy pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
The plan is centred around two focus areas - increasing the output of sustainable products such as bio-based fuels and chemicals, and enabling sustainable production to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.
Mr Gan said the E&C sector here is in the midst of a transition towards lower-carbon fuels, renewables and sustainable chemicals and the sustainable park initiative will build on these ongoing efforts.
The E&C sector is also a critical catalyst of the adoption of low-carbon technologies and fuels, which will help Singapore achieve its decarbonisation goals for other sectors like aviation.
"It may not be too long before your flight out of Changi Airport is powered by sustainable biofuels made in Singapore too."
Mr Gan said to facilitate and support companies to adopt decarbonisation and sustainability solutions the Resource Efficiency Grant for Energy and the Investment Allowance for Emissions Reduction schemes will be enhanced.
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) also released on Nov 23 the Sustainable Jurong Island report, detailing plans to transform Jurong Island into a sustainable energy and chemicals park.
The report said that in order to reach the long-term goals, some targets have been set for the E&C sector to be achieved by 2030.
They include increasing output of sustainable products by 1.5 times from 2019 levels, ensuring that the refineries and crackers in Singapore are in the top quartile of the world in terms of energy efficiency, and realising at least two million tonnes of carbon capture potential.
To support the industry in its efforts to transform Jurong Island and achieve the targets, EDB said the Government is also putting in place several infrastructure and support measures.
Those measures include a joint study by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, EDB and JTC Corporation on the potential of a carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) test-bedding facility on Jurong Island - the CCU Translational Testbed.
CCU refers to the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from sources such as power or oil refining plants and either reusing or storing it so it will not enter the atmosphere.
The CCU Translational Testbed will leverage the latest test bedding technologies, such as modularisation and digitalisation, to accelerate the development and scaling-up of CCU technologies in Singapore.
Dr Beh Swan Gin, EDB chairman, said the agency will work with the E&C industry here to develop sustainable solutions for Singapore and beyond.
"The global energy transition presents an opportunity for companies on Jurong Island to transform and innovate as they navigate towards a low carbon future," he said.
