Jurong Island is officially opened

Jurong Island is formed from the reclamation of seven southern islands: Pulau Seraya, Pulau Ayer Merbau, Pulau Sakra, Pulau Pesek Kecil, Pulau Pesek, Pulau Ayer Chawan and Pulau Merlimau.^[1] In 1991, Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) was appointed the agent of the Jurong Island project.^[2] By October 2000, a sum of S$7 billion had been invested in phases one, two and three of the reclamation of the island.^[3]

The idea of building Jurong Island was conceived by the government as early as the 1980s.^[4] The government had envisioned the island to be a premier regional chemical hub, with the petrochemical sector poised to reduce the economy’s dependence on electronics manufacturing.^[5] In the early 1990s, the world’s major chemical companies were persuaded by the Economic Development Board (EDB) to invest millions of dollars into plots of sea that would later be reclaimed to become Jurong Island.^[6]
 
In February 2000, then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at the official opening of the Jurong Island Road Link, which connects the island to mainland Singapore, that JTC planned to establish a major chemical logistics hub on Jurong Island to serve the fast-growing petrochemical industry.  At the time, the island was already home to some 55 petroleum and chemical companies with total combined assets worth S$21 billion.^[7] The hub would be equipped with its own berths, jetties and other marine facilities, as well as provide logistics services like storage tanks, chemical warehouses, tank filling, cleaning and maintenance, drumming and waste treatment facilities.^[8]

Jurong Island was officially opened by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 14 October 2000. In his speech, Goh congratulated the EDB and JTC on the “Herculean achievement”, and pointed out that Jurong Island is a good example of ingenuity in creating significant synergy and economies of scale for the tenants, and offering them better value for money.^[9] By the time Jurong Island officially opened, there were more than 60 petroleum, petrochemical, specialty chemical and supporting companies established on the island, with investments of more than S$20 billion. It was envisaged that by 2010, the island would accommodate 150 companies with investments of S$40 billion, and employing some 15,000 people.^[10]

References
1. Key facts about Jurong Island. (2000, October 17). The Straits Times, p. 76. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore & Jurong Town Corporation. (2000). Jurong Island: Planning and designing for an ecological industrial park (p. 11). Singapore: Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore & Jurong Town Corporation. Call no.: RSING q711.5524095957 JUR.
3. The Straits Times, 17 Oct 2000, p. 76.
4. Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (2000, February 10). Speech by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the official opening of Jurong Island Road Link on Thursday, 10 February 2000 at 10.00am [Press release]. Retrieved February 5, 2015, from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/
5. Phase four will add 550ha to Jurong Island. (2000, September 8). The Business Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Jurong Town Corporation. (2000). The making of Jurong Island: The right chemistry (pp. 27, 33). Singapore: Jurong Town Corporation. Call no.: RSING 711.5524095957 MAK.
7. Low, E. (2000, February 11). JTC to set up logistics hub on Jurong Island. The Business Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. The Business Times, 11 Feb 2000, p. 2.
9. Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (2000, October 14). Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the official opening of Jurong Island on Saturday, 14 October 2000, at 7.00pm [Press release]. Retrieved February 5, 2015, from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/
10. Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, 14 Oct 2000.