New underground substation to free up 3-hectare developer land

Singapore unveiled plans to build a 230kV substation at Pasir Panjang.

SP Group will be building Singapore’s first 230kV underground substation at the former Pasir Panjang Power District, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong announced.

According to his speech, the substation will be integrated with a new commercial building above it and subsequently will free up three hectares of land, or the size of three football fields.

"We are in the process of drawing up plans to rejuvenate the area, and this additional space will mean that there are more opportunities for development," he said.

"This is for just one substation and we have many more substations, storage facilities and transport infrastructure all over Singapore. If we combine all of that and progressively locate many of these facilities underground, there is tremendous potential for us to start thinking about the possibilities for future development," he said.

Wong shared Singapore's other plans for underground development. By the end of 2018, underground planning information such as utility plans, building records, and geological data will be available for sale through the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) INLIS, or the Integrated Land Information Service.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is also working on a 3D Underground Master Plan. "That is still work in progress and URA will share the Underground Master Plan for selected pilot areas by next year," Wong added.

The minister clarified that Singapore has no intention of putting residential spaces underground.

"Instead, our priority is to locate supporting infrastructure underground – utilities, storage facilities, and transport infrastructure. These are infrastructure needed to support and serve our metropolis, and there are many of them to go underground," he said.