Good evening, everyone. It is heartwarming to see all of you gathered here tonight – from the pioneers who laid the foundations of Jurong Island, to the many partners working here over the years to realise our vision.
Tonight, we celebrate not just an anniversary, but a remarkable journey – one that reflects Singapore’s spirit of imagination, partnership, and long-term planning.
From Vision to Reality
Twenty-five years ago, Jurong Island began as a bold idea: to create a thriving, integrated hub for energy and chemicals from seven small southern islands.
a. Some wondered whether it would work – whether we could build the infrastructure, attract investors, and create an ecosystem from scratch.
b. But our pioneers believed in our vision. They saw that with clarity of purpose, perseverance, and trust between government and industry, this island could anchor a new engine of Singapore’s industrial growth.
That belief paid off. From its early days, Jurong Island brought together companies that started that vision and continued to believe in us.
a. Singapore Refining Company continued refining on Pulau Merlimau even before reclamation began.
b. PCS started Southeast Asia’s first naphtha cracker in 1984, laying the foundations for the downstream petrochemical ecosystem.
c. ExxonMobil, whose predecessor Esso operated a refinery on Pulau Ayer Chawan in the 1960s, built a world-class petrochemical plant here in 2001, and expanded in 2007 and again in 2013, making Singapore its largest manufacturing site globally.
d. These early movers paved the way for others. We have since attracted over 100 global energy and chemicals companies, including Advario, Afton, Asahi Kasei, Evonik and Vopak.
Today, Jurong Island is recognised globally as a trusted hub for energy and chemicals. It sits at the heart of an integrated ecosystem that spans the entire petrochemical value chain – from refining and cracking, to petrochemicals and specialty chemicals.
a. This tightly knit ecosystem, with over 100km of pipelines, allows companies to operate efficiently and export reliably to the region and beyond. In fact, Singapore ranks as the world’s 3rd largest oil trading hub, 6th largest refinery export hub, and 9th largest chemicals hub.
b. It is also home to cutting-edge industrial infrastructure, and a thriving environment for innovation and applied research.
Our energy and chemicals sector accounts for around 3% of Singapore’s GDP and about one-quarter of manufacturing output in 2024. It provides employment for more than 27,000 workers, including in emerging roles such as industrial biotech, carbon and energy management, and decarbonisation technologies.
a. We owe this success to many of you here this evening – including Philip Yeo, former Chairman of EDB, our industry leaders, our engineers, our workers – who believed in Singapore and helped turn Jurong Island from an idea into reality.
Transforming Jurong Island
Even as we celebrate this achievement, we must look ahead. The global energy and chemicals industry, once built around scale and cost-efficiency, is being reshaped by new technologies, the pressure to decarbonise, and rising demand for higher-quality and greener products.
Jurong Island must therefore reinvent itself to stay competitive and relevant.
Last month, at the Singapore International Energy Week, we outlined the refreshed direction for Jurong Island – to become a premier hub for specialty chemicals and sustainable materials, and a global testbed for new energies and low-carbon technologies.
The Next Chapter of Jurong Island
First, specialty chemicals and sustainable materials.
a. Regional demand for higher-quality products in markets such as consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and electronics is driving the growth in specialty chemicals. This has fuelled the recent entry of new players such as Arkema, Cariflex and Kuraray.
b. Sustainability goals worldwide are also driving demand for products such as bio-based polymers, low-carbon coatings, and green solvents, and in turn drive new investments into sustainable materials.
c. At the same time, existing players are also investing in efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
i. For example, Aster and Air Liquide have signed an MOU to produce low-carbon hydrogen. This will be integrated with Aster’s cracker furnaces and waste heat recovery systems, and can enable Aster to reduce its carbon emissions.
d. I am glad to note that we are making good progress towards our Sustainable Jurong Island target.
i. The sector’s output of sustainable products has grown 1.4 times since 2019, and we are on track to reach a 1.5-times increase by 2030.
ii. Singapore’s refineries and crackers now rank within the top half of global energy efficiency, and are working toward top quartile performance.
iii. Together, these efforts will transform Jurong Island to stay competitive in a low-carbon future.
Another new area of opportunity is in New Energies. We are seeing good progress in the growth of New Energies on Jurong Island.
a. Sembcorp Solar operates the island’s largest solar deployment of close to 120 MWp.
b. IHI Corporation and A*STAR have launched a bench-scale SAF rig, producing sustainable aviation fuel from hydrogen and CO₂.
c. EMA and MPA have appointed a Keppel-led consortium to explore low- or zero-carbon ammonia solutions for power generation and bunkering.
Building on this momentum, JTC and Keppel have signed an MOU and will partner with EMA to study the pilot deployment of a microgrid testbed on Jurong Island. This initiative will advance the integration of renewable energy, battery storage systems and smart grid technologies.
These efforts will bolster Jurong Island’s proposition as a living testbed for the development of future-ready energy solutions.
Last but not least, we will also leverage Jurong Island to drive innovation into low-carbon technologies. In 2027, A*STAR will open its S$62 million Low Carbon Technology Translational Testbed (LCT³) on Jurong Island, providing a modular platform to pilot emerging low-carbon solutions.
a. ISCE² and Surbana Jurong have signed an MOU to pilot and deploy novel low carbon technologies in the LCT³ environment with local and international partners.
To further accelerate the piloting and deployment of low-carbon solutions on Jurong Island, JTC will partner Rocky Mountain Institute’s global climate-tech accelerator Third Derivative (D3).
a. This partnership will connect companies on Jurong Island with D3’s global network of over 280 start-ups and solution providers to develop new clean energy solutions.
We will also leverage the new power generation capacity on Jurong Island over the next few years to anchor the next generation of power-intensive digital infrastructure.
a. We have set aside about 20 hectares for Singapore’s largest low-carbon Data Centre (DC) Park. This will be able to support up to 700 MW of AI and other DC capacity while meeting stringent efficiency and cooling requirements.\
b. To support this development, JTC and NUS have signed an MOU to study the establishment of a Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed 2.0.
i. Through this facility, DC operators will be able to test their low carbon solutions and develop large-scale, water- and energy-efficient systems on Jurong Island.
Together, these efforts will create a comprehensive ecosystem at Jurong Island where ideas can be tested, refined, and scaled, enabling Singapore to contribute meaningfully to global decarbonisation.
Transforming our People
But transformation is not just about technology. It is also about people. As Jurong Island evolves, we must prepare our workforce for new opportunities in sustainable manufacturing, clean energy and advanced industrial systems.
a. I am glad to note that as part of their MOU, JTC and NUS will work together to cultivate a skilled talent pipeline that supports industrial decarbonisation and sustainable digital infrastructure projects on Jurong Island.
b. In tandem, Advario is working with Workforce Singapore to upskill their workforce with capabilities to support its energy transition, with an estimated 150 personnel benefitting from this partnership.
c. I hope more companies will also take the opportunity and initiative to redesign jobs and upskill their workforce as they transform their product mix. This will strengthen our talent base to support the island’s transformation, and ensure that our people will be ready to seize the opportunities ahead.
Twenty-five years ago, Jurong Island showed the world what Singapore could achieve when we dared to think big and work together. Today, as the world enters a new energy era, Jurong Island once again stands ready – to lead in sustainable chemicals, to pioneer new energies, and to develop the low-carbon technologies that will power the industries of the future.
As we celebrate 25 years of Jurong Island, let us honour the pioneers who laid the foundation, the workers who keep the island running safely every day, and the innovators who are charting its next frontier. And let us continue working together – government, industry, academia – to ensure that Jurong Island remains not only a hub for the world’s energy and chemicals, but also a beacon of low-carbon innovation for the future.
Thank you, and congratulations once again to everyone who has been part of Jurong Island’s extraordinary journey.
