The Jurong Island bet: Singapore's low-carbon data centre park
20-hectare park is part of Singapore's push to become a green energy hub.
Singapore's upcoming data centre park on Jurong Island can accommodate up to 700MW, potentially boosting Singapore's data centre capacity by 50%.
At the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) today, a JTC Corporation announcement contained a footnote about a low-carbon data centre park of unprecedented scale. Here's what it actually means.
Low-carbon data centre park
The news that 20 hectares has been set aside for a low-carbon data centre park was of particular interest. I've written about it previously, but what's new is the revelation that it can accommodate up to 700MW of data centres.
Did Singapore just update its data centre strategy? From my checks, the answer is no. New data centre capacity will still happen through existing processes such as the DC-CFA.
Here's what I know. DC-CFA2 should happen soon but there's no firm date yet. It will likely offer around 200MW of capacity. Novel fuels are expected to be mandated.
Surging demand
Singapore is a mature data centre hub with 1,400MW of data centre capacity built up over the last decade. However, it is under extraordinary pressure.
Malaysia will exceed 3GW of data centres by 2029. Rapid data centre growth is happening in Thailand. And there's extraordinary growth in Australia and Japan.
Yet Singapore had been slow in allocating new data centre capacity since 2019, when it imposed a moratorium until 2022, as it sought to meet emissions commitments. Has Singapore thrown in the towel for data centres? I don't think so.
Green energy hub
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how Singapore's data centre restraint is actually a power play as it seeks to establish itself as a green energy hub. The various announcements today lend credence to what I wrote then.
JTC announced a "refreshed" direction for Jurong Island, which will allocate 10% of its land - 300 hectares - for new energies such as hydrogen-ready natural gas and ammonia.
Singapore will also look into importing biomethane with a pilot of up to 300MW. Biomethane is a renewable gas produced by purifying biogas, which in turn is produced from organic matter such as agricultural waste.
The long game
Singapore hasn't given up on data centres. It's just playing a different game as it seeks to crack the puzzle of importing renewable energy at scale.
Success will open the floodgates to a new generation of green data centres. In the meantime, it's working to encourage greener data centres through the Green Data Centre Roadmap.
