Significant Infrastructure Government Loan Act 2021 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Authorisation and Application of Loan
11. Meaning of “nationally significant infrastructure expenditure”
Feedback & supportIn this Act, “nationally significant infrastructure expenditure” means any qualifying capital expenditure incurred, on or after 3 August 2021, in relation to an approved infrastructure project.
nationally significant infrastructure expenditure
“nationally significant infrastructure expenditure” has the meaning given by section 11;
In this section, “infrastructure project” means a project involving any one or more of the following matters:
the construction or acquisition of any nationally significant infrastructure;
the building, installation or acquisition of any related facility of a nationally significant infrastructure;
the improvement, extension, enlargement or replacement of any nationally significant infrastructure or related facility of a nationally significant infrastructure where the improvement, extension, enlargement or replacement significantly —
increases the capacity or reliability of the nationally significant infrastructure;
increases the useful life of the nationally significant infrastructure; or
reduces previously assessed operating costs of the nationally significant infrastructure,such that the nationally significant infrastructure has or has left, or is reasonably expected to have or have left, a useful life of at least 50 years upon the completion of the infrastructure project.
In this section, “qualifying capital expenditure”, in relation to an infrastructure project, means capital expenditure incurred by any infrastructure project participant of the project, wholly or substantially for the purpose of carrying on the infrastructure project, and even if incurred before 3 August 2021; and includes capital expenditure incurred in connection with any of the following incidentals to the project:
the acquisition of any right or interest in respect of the use of any invention, required in respect of or in connection with any matter in subsection (2)(a), (b) or (c);
any associated design, investigative and engineering studies, survey or research preparatory to the undertaking of any matter in paragraph (a) or subsection (2)(a), (b) or (c);
any works directly attributable to bringing the nationally significant infrastructure and its related facilities to the location and condition necessary for the nationally significant infrastructure to operate for its intended purpose or purposes.
However, qualifying capital expenditure excludes any capital expenditure incurred in relation to any of the following:
the repair or maintenance of a nationally significant infrastructure or related facility of a nationally significant infrastructure;
the acquisition of land and of any right or interest in or over land, even if required in respect of or in connection with any matter in subsection (2)(a), (b) or (c); (c)the acquisition, repair or maintenance of any train, vehicle, aircraft, vessel or barge.
The Minister must not approve any infrastructure project for the purposes of this Act unless —
the total qualifying capital expenditure that has been or is expected to be incurred wholly or substantially by every infrastructure project participant for the purpose of the infrastructure project is estimated to be $4,000,000,000 or more; and
the infrastructure project is ongoing on, or starts on or after 3 August 2021.
Where a number of distinct contracts or engagements are entered or to be entered into purportedly in connection with any infrastructure project, and the estimated value of some or all of such contracts or engagements taken severally do not exceed the amount specified in subsection (5), then to calculate the estimate of the total qualifying capital expenditure to be incurred by any infrastructure project participant wholly or substantially for the purpose of the project, every distinct contract or engagement for anything that —
is capable of being completed and to start operations independently of other matters covered by the other contracts or engagements or without materially affecting the effective operation of matters covered by the other contracts or engagements; and
is situated on lands that are not adjacent or contiguous,must be disregarded.
In this section —
“approved” means approved in person by the Minister in accordance with this section;
“construction”, in relation to any nationally significant infrastructure, means —
nationally significant infrastructure
“nationally significant infrastructure” means any structure or building in Singapore (whether above or below ground or water) that —(a)is or is intended to be controlled and legally owned by the Government;(b)is or is intended primarily for any of the following purposes or a combination of any of the following purposes:(i)the transport by road or rail, air, sea or inland waterway of passengers or goods or both; Examples Roads, paths, railways, tunnels and bridges for roads or railways in Singapore that are used by the public for the movement or transport of people or goods. A runway or taxiway, or a parking apron for loading and unloading of aircraft passengers or cargo. A building wholly or principally for use as a passenger terminal or cargo terminal for transport by land or air. A wharf or dock in Singapore used by the public to facilitate the carriage or transfer of cargo or passengers travelling by sea or river.(ii)the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage or the supply or recovery and treatment of water;(iii)the alleviation of floods;(iv)the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and management of the coastal zone to mitigate current and future risks from coastal hazards, taking into account the effects of climate change; Example Seawall, revetment, groyne, weir or dyke, drains or other channels for the interaction of tidal waters with catchment floodwaters, breakwaters, flood gates, barrages and coastal pumping stations.(v)the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity, gas or other energy or power;ExamplesPower stations, substations, transmission lines and transformers for electricity generation, transmission or distribution.Pipelines used to transport gases which liquefy under pressure (such as natural gas, ethane and LPG) from a gas processing plant.(vi)the delivery of telecommunications, broadcasting, electronic and other data communications services;(vii)any other purpose (which may include a supply chain or an interconnected network) in which initial or further investment is vital to supporting, or is likely to materially improve, national productivity or Singapore’s economic, environmental or social sustainability; and(c)is or is intended principally for use by (whether or not free) or for the benefit of the present and future generations of the general public in Singapore;
the erection (but not repair or maintenance) of the nationally significant infrastructure or any of its related facilities;
the excavation or site formation works connected with or carried out for the purpose of paragraph (a); or
the demolition and re‑construction of the nationally significant infrastructure or any of its related facilities;
“infrastructure project” includes a phase or stage of an infrastructure project only if expressly planned for at the start of the infrastructure project;
“infrastructure project participant”, for any infrastructure project, means —
the department, ministry or Organ of State of the Government to which responsibility for carrying out the infrastructure project (or any part of the project) is assigned; or
a public authority carrying out the infrastructure project as an agent or otherwise on behalf of the department, ministry or Organ of State of the Government mentioned in paragraph (a).