Three Islands Singapore Plans to Merge Through Massive Land Reclamation
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced a land reclamation plan to merge three islands in southern Singapore into one island. Wong presented an illustration of how the islands would look once combined.
In a video posted on his official YouTube channel on Monday (24/8/2026), the plan was unveiled during the National Day Rally 2026. Wong began by recounting the development of the oil refining industry shortly after Singapore gained independence.
He noted that at the time, the refining industry was built on three islands: Pulau Pesek, Pulau Ayer Chawan and Pulau Merlimau. The project made Singapore a global refining hub. He said Singapore’s founders continued to develop a complete petrochemical industry alongside the refining centre.
“To build it, we needed more space. So we carried out land reclamation. We merged several islands and built Jurong Island. Today, Jurong Island has become a global hub for energy and chemicals,” he said.
He said past investments had brought prosperity to the people of Singapore. Now, he said, global conditions present new challenges for Singapore.
He said the Singapore Government is considering steps for the future. He said that south of Jurong Island lie Pulau Semakau, Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong.
He said the three islands will be merged in the future. According to him, the reclamation plan is being carefully studied.
“There is Semakau, which is currently a waste processing site. Bukom, where our first refinery industry is still operating. Pulau Sudong and several smaller islands here. In the coming decades, we want to merge some of these islands into one large island, just as we did with Jurong Island,” he said.
Wong said the new island will host power generation infrastructure to meet the needs of Singapore’s new and advanced industries in the future. He said the new island will also be used for Singapore’s military purposes.
Wong then showed an illustration of the three islands to be merged. A road will be built to connect the new reclaimed island with Jurong Island and link it to the Singapore mainland.