Singapore on Friday broke ground on the S$62.5 million ($48.92 million) Low-Carbon Technology Translational Testbed (LCT), a national facility that will help companies test and scale emerging low-carbon technologies for industrial use.

Amogy, IHI Corporation, and Metha8 were announced as its first users, through collaborations spanning carbon utilisation and low-carbon hydrogen, The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a statement.

It is noted that industrial activities, including manufacturing, account for nearly two-thirds of Singapore’s emissions.

Reducing these emissions will require technologies suited to Singapore’s industrial conditions and facilities to test them at larger scale.

Located on Jurong Island and hosted at the A*STAR Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (A*STAR ISCE), LCT will provide modular and configurable facilities to support the development and testing of carbon utilisation and hydrogen technologies under industry-relevant conditions.

Companies can access shared infrastructure, utilities, permits and licences to set up pilots, moving faster from technology development to testing and scale-up.

It complements JTC’s broader efforts to develop the island as a leading hub for new energy solutions and low-carbon technologies.

According to the statement, A*STAR and Amogy will pilot ammonia-to-hydrogen technology at LCT, developing lower-cost catalysts and integrating Amogy’s ammonia cracking systems to produce up to one tonne of hydrogen per day.

The project will support the commercialization of new non-noble metal catalysts and generate operating data for the larger-scale deployment of ammonia-based hydrogen and power across Singapore’s industrial and energy sectors.

Meanwhile, A*STAR and IHI Corporation will test carbon dioxide (CO₂)-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) catalyst technologies at LCT.

The partners will evaluate catalyst performance under industrially relevant conditions, including industrial flow rates, temperatures and pressures, real-world feedstocks, and extended operating durations.

The data generated will provide valuable insights into catalyst activity, selectivity, stability and scalability, supporting IHI’s efforts to advance the technology towards commercial deployment.

A*STAR and Singapore-based start-up Metha8 will scale up an integrated methanol-to-power system.

It produces hydrogen through an aqueous alkaline methanol reforming process, while simultaneously capturing pure CO2 as a by-product prior to power generation.

Testing at LCT will validate its viability under industrially relevant operating conditions and generate the operational data required to support future scale-up and deployment.

Beyond these first industry projects, A*STAR is developing collaborations with local and international technology developers, energy companies and industrial partners to test and advance low-carbon technologies at LCT.

These include CERT Systems, Greenlyzer, Obayashi, and RTI International.