Kallang Gasworks was completed in 1862 and piped gas supply was turned on in Singapore for the first time. It was first owned by the Singapore Gas Company which was formed in 1861 to provide gas for street lighting.
Later in 1901, the Municipal Commissioners acquired the gasworks and expanded its capacity. When the Public Utilities Board (PUB) was formed in May 1963, it took over the supply of piped gas and electricity and the Kallang Gasworks came under PUB's charge. In October 1995, Kallang Gasworks was transferred from PUB to the newly corporatised company, Singapore Power, under its subsidiary PowerGas Ltd. Two years later, the Kallang Gasworks ceased gas production in 1997 after having served Singapore faithfully for 135 years. Since then, the newly commissioned Senoko Gasworks has taken over the function of producing sufficient gas to meet the demand of consumers in Singapore.
With its modest beginnings in a sparsely populated swampy surrounding, the Kallang Gasworks became a prominent landmark of the area. As the Kallang Basin area went through extensive reclamation and development, the Kallang Gasworks found itself in the heart of the city adjacent to a busy MRT station. Thus, it had to be demolished in order to facilitate the development of Riverwalk Park along the Kallang Basin and other more compatible land use in the surrounding city environment.
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The history of Kallang Gasworks dates back to 1861when piped gas was first produced primarily for street lighting, and later for commercial and domestic uses. Gas in those days was produced using coal as a feedstock. Kallang Gasworks' location by the bank of the Rochor River was an ideal choice for easy delivery of coal by boat from neighbouring countries.
In 1958, Kallang Gasworks made headlines by being the first in the region to switch to heavy fuel oil as feedstock. The Gasworks commisssioned three modern catalytic heavey fuel oil gasification plants that were considered the most modern in the industry. Naphtha, a clean and more efficient feedstock was introduced in 1966. This led to the phasing out of heavy fuel oil plants in 1980.
The completion of Senoko Gasworks in 1997 to meet the long term energy needs of Singapore saw the relocation of gas production operations from Kallang to Senoko. Kallang Gasworks ceased operations on 23 March 1998 and the event was officiatedd by BG (NS) George Yeo, then Minister for Information and The Arts and Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Kallang Basin, the site where the Gasworks used to stand as a prominent landmark of the area, has been earmarked for development.