Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to follow the model of the world class chemical hub on Jurong Island in Singapore to set up its petrochemical hub in the coastal districts. Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, in his meeting with Singapore foreign affairs minister K. Shanmugam said he wants to visit Jurong Island to set up a petrochemical hub on similar lines in the state. Jurong Island is an amalgamation of several islands and all major petro giants have their industries there.
Mr Naidu told Shanmugam that he wants to learn from Singapore’s experiences in curbing corruption and the ropes of good governance. Jurong Island is home to more than 100 leading world renowned petroleum, petrochemical and specialty chemical companies.
Mr Shanmugam speaking to the media said, “I think Mr Naidu knows Singapore very well. He’s a long-standing friend of Singapore. And he has had many engagements with it. He has been a great admirer of what has been achieved in Singapore. So, he asked his officials to go to Singapore and understand a number of specific areas, and then he wants to go as quickly as possible as possible. He also sought close collaboration and cooperation between Singapore and AP.”
Mr Shanmugam added, “Mr Naidu wants to improve the information technology attraction of AP. He has plans to build a big petrochemical complex, so he wants to come and see Jurong Island.” The Singapore minister said that they can work on the programmes and all areas of Naidu’s interest and can also collaborate at the government level.
Companies who have set up operations in Jurong Island include BASF, Celanese, Exxonmobil, Dupont, Mitsui Chemicals, Chevron Texaco, Shell and Sumitomo Chemical. New additions like CIBA, Huntsman, Natural Fuel, Nexsol and Tate & Lyle have also set up manufacturing facilities on Jurong Island.
