Township project drawing investors: Iswaran

Artist's impression of Park by the Bay, a joint venture between SembCorp Development and Indonesian developer Jababeka. PHOTO: SEMBCORP
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo (second from right) officiating the launch of the Kendal Industrial Park in Semarang, Indonesia. PHOTO: ST FILE

A Singapore-Indonesian joint township project in Java has had a good take-up rate in terms of investment, said Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran yesterday.

Speaking to the media during a visit to a co-working space for tech start-ups in Jakarta, Mr Iswaran said the joint-venture township project in Kendal, Semarang, was getting good traction from investors.

The management of the township is also trying to conduct more vocational and technical training for people in the area, he added.

The 2,700ha Park by the Bay township project between SembCorp Development and Indonesian developer Jababeka was officially opened by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in November last year. The project is "a key initiative" to build on strong bilateral ties, Mr Iswaran told reporters.

Mr Iswaran is in Indonesia on a three-day visit from Monday to reaffirm strong bilateral ties and explore greater areas of collaboration in energy, tourism, infrastructure, vocational education and the digital sector.

He met his Indonesian counterpart, Mr Airlangga Hartarto, and Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Ignatius Jonan yesterday. He discussed with Mr Jonan investment opportunities for Singapore firms arising from Indonesia's plans to boost its power generation capacity significantly.

Indonesia will need different solutions to meet its energy goals including building power plants of various sizes, some in remote locations.

"All of these are possibilities and we are trying to focus on a few areas where we have companies with capabilities," said Mr Iswaran.

"So it could be around mini-LNG, (liquefied natural gas) small LNG projects, or renewable energy like solar, but I think the companies need to work with the authorities to see where the possibilities are."

Mr Iswaran will visit Medan, in North Sumatra, today and meet with local government leaders to discuss tourism-related investment opportunities for Singapore firms.

"There is a range of possibilities based on the natural attractions in Medan and the region, for Singapore to be involved in a regional project, for example, in cruise tourism," Mr Iswaran said.

He noted that Indonesia, an archipelago, offers many interesting areas and islands to visit, and these could add value to the cruise industry.

Indonesia has previously invited cruise companies to operate at Lake Toba, the world's largest volcanic lake, in North Sumatra.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 26, 2017, with the headline Township project drawing investors: Iswaran. Subscribe