Locals fill most jobs at new plant on Jurong Island

SINGAPORE: Tuas Power’s Tembusu multi—utilities complex on Jurong Island has generated 150 jobs ahead of its official opening next week.

100 positions have been filled and the plant is looking for Singaporeans to fill 50 vacancies.

The facility, which has started phase one of operations, provides steam, water and electricity to petrochemical firms.

160 megawatts of electricity and 900 tonnes per hour of steam to support Singapore’s petrochemical industry. That’s how much the Tembusu multi—utilities complex can generate when completed not later than 2017.

Phase one and the beginning of the second phase of operations took S$1.2 billion in investments.

When the facility is fully operational, there will be an estimated 200 jobs, 90 of which are now filled by locals.

Jobs here require an engineering background, so the plant’s looking for graduates from polytechnics and the Institutes of Technical Education to fill vacancies.

Lim Kong Puay, President and Chief Executive of Tuas Power Generation, said: "We work with academic institutions to be able to attract a pool of people to join us. As part of our plan, we have also put in programmes here to develop people. For example, a technician, or technical officers, we do offer them scholarship as part of the career progression."

George Tan, Vice President of Utilities, Tuas Power Utilities, said: "We are not only using coal, we are using biomass, we are also using natural gas. So with this strategy, we are better (able to) manage and enhance the energy security, at the same time, we are able to manage cost saving."

And waste isn’t wasted. By—products like ash from power production are re—processed into materials for the construction industry.

— CNA/ck/de