A new southern island somewhat similar to Jurong Island but also supporting other industries, a refresh for Sentosa and tunnels to link to Pulau Tekong are some projects Singaporeans may look forward to in the years ahead.
Pulau Semakau, Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong are among islands that could be merged through planned land reclamation to create a new “Western island” in coming decades for a new generation of industries, power generation infrastructure and defence needs, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Aug 23 at the 2026 National Day Rally.
PM Wong said the new island follows the example of Jurong Island, a global energy and chemicals hub that was formed from the reclamation of several offshore islands.
That investment has delivered lasting benefits for Singapore, he added, citing Jurong Island’s role in creating jobs and anchoring important industries, making Singapore a critical node in global energy flows, and strengthening its energy security and resilience, most recently amid the disruptions in the Middle East.
He said that every piece of land matters in Singapore, where space is needed for homes, jobs, transport and infrastructure. At the same time, the Republic cherishes green spaces, biodiversity and places with heritage and history.
“We plan fifty, seventy, even one hundred years ahead. We plan with every Singaporean – born and not yet born – in mind,” he said. To create some of these new possibilities, the Government is looking to transform Singapore’s outer islands, he added.
He highlighted a cluster of islands south of Jurong Island, which includes Pulau Semakau that houses Singapore’s only offshore landfill, Pulau Bukom - where the nation’s first refinery still operates, and Pulau Sudong.
According to a video shown at the rally, the reclamation profile for the area could also absorb Pulau Hantu, Pulau Jong and Pulau Sebarok.
He said: “This new island won’t just be for petrochemicals. “It can support a new generation of industries, including advanced manufacturing facilities. It can accommodate new power generation infrastructure to meet Singapore’s future needs.”
He said there will be space for Singapore’s defence needs, noting that Pulau Sudong now has an airstrip that the Singapore Armed Forces uses during emergencies.
A new link will also be built to connect Jurong Island to the new western island.
Sentosa and Pulau Brani to be linked
Plans are also in store for Sentosa and Pulau Brani.
Access will be improved to a part of Sentosa’s western coastline that is home to rich marine life and unique geology like distinctive coastal cliffs, while preserving its natural character. Next to Sentosa, on Pulau Brani, a new Downtown South resort will be built after port operations move out, said PM Wong.
The operations at Brani Terminal, as well as Tanjong Pagar and Keppel Terminals, are slated to move to Tuas Port by 2027. With land reclamation to better link the 120ha Pulau Brani to Sentosa, the two isles will become one integrated destination, PM Wong said.
The resort will fall under the leisure and recreational arm of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
PM Wong said that as new attractions are added, Sentosa and Pulau Brani will need more capacity and ways to get around. To this end, a new people mover system connecting mainland Singapore to the two islands will be built, and a water taxi service is also being explored, PM Wong said.
The refresh is part of the Greater Sentosa Master Plan unveiled in July. The blueprint contains a raft of initiatives to transform Sentosa and Pulau Brani over the next two decades.
Upcoming developments include a sheltered forest canopy walk to the top of Mount Imbiah, as well as a multi-purpose venue called the Sensorium at Siloso Beach.
Undersea tunnels to Pulau Tekong being studied
Studies are under way to see if it is feasible to build undersea tunnels linking the mainland to Pulau Tekong, and make it easier for people to reach Singapore’s largest offshore island.
More reclamation works at the southern end of Pulau Tekong are also in the pipeline, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Rally speech on Aug 23.
That will create more training space for the Singapore Armed Forces and leave another 500ha of land – about the size of Toa Payoh – for civilian use, he added.
The proposed tunnels are a “major engineering undertaking”, and are among several decades-long projects that will give future Singaporeans more space, more opportunities and even greater possibilities than what the country has today, he said.
PM Wong added that Pulau Tekong – unlike other outer islands such as Jurong Island – has no land link to the mainland.
“The obvious solution is to build bridges, but that would cut across busy shipping channels. So, if we can’t go over the sea, we will try to go under it,” he said.
He added that Singapore has experience building underground road tunnels but it has never built undersea tunnels of this scale.
Pulau Tekong was once two islands called Tekong Besar and Tekong Kechil. Land has been reclaimed around Tekong Besar, and a polder near Tekong Kechil has been completed, PM Wong said.
And there is more reclamation to come, he said, as he outlined plans for the southern end of Pulau Tekong.
As for the 500ha of land kept aside for future civilian uses, PM Wong said: “We have not decided what to use this land for, and we don’t have to decide now.
“What matters is that we have the space, and that gives us valuable options for the future.”
If Singapore goes ahead and builds the undersea tunnel, it will bring the outer islands much closer to the rest of the country, he added.
PM Wong said soldiers in the past had to rely on Ramp Powered Launches to travel to the island for military training, before air-conditioned ferries were used instead.
“One day, our recruits may have an even easier journey to Tekong,” he added.
Long Island Project will be new waterfront
He also spoke about the Long Island project, which involves reclaiming land tracts that will create about 800ha of land off the East Coast.
PM Wong – who grew up in Marine Parade – said his parents would often tell him that much of the land in the area used to be sea.
“In fact, my grandfather made a living in those very waters – as a fisherman off Kampong Amber.”
In the past, some people used to be worried that homes built on reclaimed land would sink, but these homes have today become prized because it’s difficult to find Housing Board flats so close to the sea, he said.
“One day, Long Island will become another new waterfront for future generations. They will live there, raise their families there, and perhaps tell their own children that this, too, was once part of the sea,” he added.
PM Wong said projects like the undersea tunnel to Tekong, Long Island and merging western offshore islands such as Semakau, Bukom and Sudong to support a new generation of industries will take decades to complete.
“They will require resources, planning, and investment over many terms of government. That’s what long-term planning is about,” he said.
Plans for a vehicular connection between mainland Singapore and Pulau Tekong have been considered for at least three decades, since Concept Plan 1991.
Two types of connections between the mainland and Pulau Tekong were mooted – a vehicular link that would begin near Tanah Merah Coast Road, and an MRT route that would run through land to the east of Singapore that had yet to be reclaimed, before passing by the Johor Strait and arriving at Pulau Tekong.
The idea was for these two connections to link Pulau Tekong to Pulau Ubin, and for Pulau Ubin to be connected back to the mainland at Punggol and Lorong Halus.
Under the 1991 plan, that part of Pulau Tekong would be used for new homes and jobs.
These plans have morphed over time, and in the 2001 Concept Plan, the rail link between mainland Singapore and the two north-eastern islands was dropped, although the road link remained.
The planned road link remained a feature in the Concept Plan 2011 and the Long Term Plan that came out in 2022, which both provide a roadmap for Singapore’s infrastructure development for the next 50 years and beyond. THE STRAITS TIMES
