Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore
Situated on Pulau Bukom, it is Shell’s only energy and chemicals park in Asia. What was once an oil storage installation and later Singapore’s first refinery in 1961, has transformed into an energy and chemicals park that will focus on producing low-carbon energy products like biofuels; incorporate circularity, such as waste plastics for feedstock; as well as provide renewable energy.
Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore
Powering progress in Asia Pacific
The Park houses a world-class ethylene cracker complex (up to a million tonnes per annum), a butadiene extraction unit (155,000 tonnes per annum) and is integrated with one of the world’s largest mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) plants at Shell’s petrochemical site at Jurong Island to supply energy and advanced chemical products to meet the growing needs of customers in the region and beyond. The site also produces base oils, which is sent to Shell’s Tuas lubricants plant. Bitumen produced on Bukom, along with lubricants produced from base oils, are supplied to China and across South-east Asia.
Lowering our own and customers’ emissions
Circular chemicals
We are building Shell’s first pyrolysis oil upgrader unit, the biggest in Asia, with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per annum (tpa). Slated to start production in 2023, the unit treats pyrolysis oil, made from waste plastics, which will be used as raw material for the ethylene cracker complex. The pyrolysis oil is used to produce circular chemicals that customers increasingly want for use in hundreds of useful, everyday products, from tyres to mattresses.
Shell’s ambition is to annually process one million tonnes a year of plastic waste globally by 2025, or equivalent to 69,000 double decker buses in Singapore.
Biofuels
A 550,000 tpa biofuels facility is being explored, where hydrogen made from renewable resources and bio-feedstock, such as used cooking oils and animal fats, is turned into low-carbon fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel for road transport. Once operational, it will be one of Asia’s largest biofuels facilities, allowing Shell to provide SAF to customers in Asia and worldwide.
This is in line with Shell’s ambition to produce around 2 million tonnes of SAF a year by 2025 and have at least 10% of its global aviation fuels sales as SAF by 2030.
Singapore’s first fully-electric ferry
‘Penguin Refresh’ is the first of three fully-electric harbour craft that will ply the route between mainland Singapore and the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore from May 2023.
These 200-seater ferries will transport 3,000 passengers daily or an estimated 1.8 million passenger trips annually. They will save 6,258 tonnes of CO2 emissions as well as 1,952 tonnes of fuel per year for Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will work with Shell to make our charging facilities for the ferries at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore available for other electric harbour craft users. Shell is also exploring the feasibility of expanding the shore charging infrastructure to serve as an electrification hub for harbour craft in Singapore.
Developing digital talent and capability
We are combining human capabilities with advanced digital technology, to transform the way we work. As the first Shell site in the world to deploy digital twin technology, we enable our engineers to visualise our complex plant using AR and VR technology, putting live data at their fingertips. When troubleshooting an issue, various options can be tested in real-time on the virtual platform, before deciding on a solution. This improves operational efficiency, prevents downtime, reduces maintenance costs and allows effective real time collaboration between experts and operators. By 2025, all critical field operations at Shell Bukom will be performed on tablets.
Biodiversity in Bukom’s backyard
Did you know the cluster of mangrove trees around Shell Energy and Chemical Parks Singapore’s waters supports a thriving habitat for Grey Herons and a diverse marine ecosystem?
As part of our Respecting Nature programme, two biodiversity watch groups monitor and protect the flora and fauna at Pulau Anak (on the north of Pulau Bukom) with the National Parks Board (NParks). We also share data and information with NParks as part of the Citizen Science Programme, which helps the nation’s biodiversity decision makers formulate conservation plans.
Located beside our refinery, Anak is a safe harbour for migratory birds like Herons and are home to octopi, corals, myriad crustaceans. Even blacktip reef sharks have been spotted here.
Here’s an little known fact: Plants around the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore, such as the mangroves and seagrass habitats, can trap carbon in soil and underwater sediments in and around their roots, stem and leaves – even more than rainforests according to a local university study.
Shell Singapore Community Feedback Mechanism
Shell Singapore is committed to listen and respond to your concerns and questions impacting the well-being of our communities. Every feedback is valuable and is treated with respect including your personal data. Please click here (PDF, 119 kB) to submit your feedback.
Key Projects
Digital Twin
In 2020, Bukom piloted a new Digital Twin technology. Upon achieving full completion in 2024, the Digital Twin will be a complete virtual representation of the physical elements on Pulau Bukom Manufacturing Site and be able to respond dynamically to conditions based on data from over 20 different technology platforms. The power of the Digital Twin lies in its visual, data and analytics capabilities. When fully implemented, live information of the plant operations can be provided to engineers via augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), thereby reducing the need to step into the plant. When troubleshooting an issue, various options can be tested in real-time on the virtual platform, before deciding on a solution. This improves operational efficiency, preventing downtime, reducing maintenance costs and allows effective real time collaboration between experts and operators. By 2025, all critical field operations at the site will be performed through tablets.
Awards and Recognition
Shell is recognised for its good record in safety, social performance and social investment programmes, and commitment to sustainable development.
