SINGAPORE (Xinhua): Singapore and Saudi Arabia plan to establish a crude oil storage arrangement at Singapore's Jurong Rock Caverns, with operations expected to begin in the second half of 2027, the two countries said on Monday.
Singapore's Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy announced the joint initiative, marked by an exchange of a memorandum of understanding between Saudi Aramco and Singapore's Energy Market Authority and JTC Corporation, with negotiations expected to wrap up within months.
The proposed arrangement will see Saudi crude oil stored at the underground facility on Jurong Island, helping Singapore meet its energy needs during supply disruptions and strengthening its energy security and resilience.
It will also enhance the resilience of Saudi Arabia's crude oil supply chain in Southeast Asia, the countries said. -- Xinhua
"Saudi Arabia and Singapore are announcing our joint intent to establish an arrangement for Saudi crude oil to be stored at the Jurong Rock Caverns from the second half of 2027," Tan See Leng, minister for energy, trade and industry, told the Singapore International Energy Week conference, Reuters reported.
"This arrangement enhances the resilience of the Saudi crude oil supply chain in Southeast Asia, as well as contributes to Singapore's energy security and resilience in the event of supply disruptions."
Tan said Saudi Aramco will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Energy Market Authority and JTC Corp on Monday and aimed to conclude negotiations in a few months' time.
"Bringing supply closer to key Asian markets would strengthen the flexibility of our supply network and support Singapore's security of supply and preparedness," Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud said in a video recording at the conference.
Located at a depth of 150 metres (492 feet) below the ground, the rock caverns at Jurong Island can store up to 1.47 million cubic metres of liquid hydrocarbons such as crude oil and condensate.
Saudi Aramco currently stores crude in Japan and South Korea where local governments have priority to buy the supplies in the tanks in the event of an unexpected shortage.
The crude storage capacity in Okinawa was expanded to 8.2 million barrels in September 2017 in an agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp (JOGMEC), Aramco Japan said on its website.
In 2023, Aramco inked a deal with Korea National Oil Corp to store 5.3 million barrels of oil in South Korea's reserve facilities in the port of Ulsan for five years.
