Energy cluster alongside military training on Pulau Tekong? Making room is only part of the challenge

Résumé détaillé

Experts say adequate safety buffers and careful planning would be needed to accommodate both military training and energy operations on the island.

Experts say adequate safety buffers and careful planning would be needed to accommodate both military training and energy operations on the island.

SINGAPORE: Pulau Tekong, long associated with military training, could one day take on another strategic role – housing energy infrastructure that helps power Singapore.

But observers told CNA that making room for both activities would be only part of the challenge, with safety requirements and operational restrictions potentially imposing significant long-term costs.

The island off Singapore's northeastern coast has housed the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) Basic Military Training Centre since 1999.

In early October, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) announced that a 200ha site on reclaimed land at Pulau Tekong – equivalent to about 40 per cent of Sentosa Island's land area – is being studied for a possible energy infrastructure cluster.

The cluster could house hydrogen-ready natural gas-fired power plants, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and other low-carbon energy technologies.

EMA has called a tender for a consultant to conduct a feasibility study and propose a master plan. The consultant is expected to be appointed by mid-2027, with the study estimated to take about two years.

Defence, energy and economics experts said developing energy facilities on Pulau Tekong, which was repurposed for military training nearly 40 years ago in 1987, could be feasible. But careful planning of safety buffers and operational arrangements would be needed to avoid costly disruptions to both military training and energy operations, they added.

The feasibility study follows Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's announcement at the National Day Rally in August that roughly 500ha of land on Pulau Tekong – about the size of Toa Payoh town – would be available for future civilian uses after the SAF's needs are met.

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