Copyright Reuters

SINGAPORE, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Singapore will allocate more land on its manufacturing hub, Jurong Island, for renewable energy facilities and a data centre park, the Singapore Economic Development Board and developer JTC Corporation said in a joint statement on Monday. About 300 hectares (741.32 acres) of land on the island's western side, roughly 10% of Jurong Island's total area, will be set aside for renewable power projects and low-carbon fuel production, the agencies said. Sign up here. Jurong Island will be a global test-bed for new energies and low-carbon technologies, said Tan See Leng, Singapore's minister-in-charge of energy, science and technology, at the Singapore International Energy Week conference on Monday. The development will scale up facilities for renewable energies, including solar sources, sustainable aviation fuel, low-or-zero carbon ammonia solutions for power generation and maritime bunkering, as well as battery storage, according to EDB and JTC. These include Singapore's project for low-or-zero carbon ammonia power generation as well as hydrogen-ready power plants. Separately, another 20 hectares of land will be set aside to develop Singapore's largest data centre park, designed to support up to 700 megawatts of power capacity. Operators will be able to tap Jurong Island's existing ecosystem, including shared energy storage and utility infrastructure, ample power supply, and access to emerging low-carbon energy sources. At the same time, the island will continue to diversify and drive growth opportunities in specialty chemicals and sustainable products. "There has been increasing interest from specialty chemicals players to grow their presence in Singapore, driven by growth in regional demand for higher-quality products," Tan said. Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh and Lucas Liew; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips