The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) has secured investments from six clean energy companies worth $500 million over the next five years, creating 400 skilled jobs in total.

Around two-thirds of the 400 jobs would go to Singaporeans, said EDB executive director Goh Chee Kiong. "In clean energy, there is a global shortage of talent, and I think it is in Singapore's interest to make sure that we are able to attract a fair share of global talent to Singapore, and yet ensuring there is a Singaporean core."

The investments were announced yesterday by Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and National Development, in his opening remarks for the Asia Clean Energy Summit 2017.

EDB declined to give a breakdown of the $500 million, citing commercial sensitivities.

The summit began on the second day of the Singapore International Energy Week 2017, following $24 million of clean energy grants awarded by the Energy Market Authority on Monday.

Envision Energy, a Chinese company, will set up its global digital energy hub in Singapore. Its managing director Zhang Lei said the firm intends to hire more than 200 workers in the fields of big data, machine learning and the Internet of Things.

Germany-based VDE is investing $20 million to set up an energy storage testing and certification lab. Its chief executive Ansgar Hinz said that within three years, VDE aims to employ about 100 people, of whom at least 80 per cent would be Singaporean.

Chinese solar firm GCL, American wind company Hover Energy and Jiangsu Linyang, which specialises in smart meters and solar energy, are establishing their regional headquarters in Singapore for various functions.

Chinese firm Narada will set up its regional Energy Storage Solution Centre of Excellence in Singapore to develop co-innovation opportunities with companies here.

Singapore's microgrid capabilities also received a boost yesterday.

Announced at the event were multiple memorandums of understanding and partnerships undertaken by Nanyang Technological University's Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator-Singapore on Pulau Semakau, which is the largest mini power grid test bed in South-east Asia.

"Investments from diverse companies in the clean energy space are testimony to the fact that Singapore remains a choice location for companies to innovate and commercialise technologies," Dr Koh said at the event held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands.