CONGRATULATIONS PENANG! – AND ALSO MALAYSIA, AS A WEALTHIER PENANG WILL ALSO MEAN A MORE PROSPEROUS MALAYSIA – PUTRAJAYA GIVES FINAL NOD FOR THE PENANG SOUTH ISLANDS PROJECT BUT WITH 71 CONDITIONS – YET GROUPS THAT SEE TREES BUT NOT THE FOREST & THOSE WITH POLITICAL MOTIVES TO KEEP PENANG FOREVER DOWN & OUT PROTEST ON – BUT WORK WILL STILL BEGIN IN THIRD QUARTER OF 2023

Business, Politics | April 26, 2023 5:51 pm by | 0 Comments

Penang chief minister says reclamation work for man-made island project to start in third quarter of 2023

GEORGE TOWN— Reclamation work to create the first artificial island in the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project is expected to start in the third quarter of this year, state Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

He said the Department of Environment (DoE) in Putrajaya has already approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the three islands under the PSR.

“The approval was received officially in a letter dated April 11,” he said.

He said the approval is subject to compliance of 71 conditions, including the implementation of a social impact management plan and PSR ecology offset master plan.

“With the EIA approval, the state government, through the project delivery partner, is now in the process of applying for approval for the environmental management plan from DoE Penang,” he said.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (left) and state exco Zairil Khir Johari showing the artists’ impression of the PSI project on April 26, 2023. ― Picture by Opalyn Mok

He said the environmental management plan (EMP) will outline the state’s plans on how it will comply with the 71 conditions imposed for the approval of the EIA.

Chow said the state will not start reclamation works before obtaining the necessary approvals.

“Reclamation works are expected to start in the third quarter of this year after we obtain approval for the EMP,” he said.

He said the approved EIA report will be uploaded on to the Penang Infrastructure Corporation website for public viewing.

He said the EIA approval is for all three islands of the PSR, also known as Penang South Islands (PSI).

“We will start with reclamation works for Island A first, which will feature a green tech park,” he said.

Reclamation for Island A is expected to start in the third quarter of this year. ― Picture courtesy of SRS Consortium

The PSI project is a massive reclamation project to create three islands, measuring a total 4,500 acres (1,821 hectares), off the southern coast of Penang island.

Island A will measure about 2,300 acres (930 ha).

Penang South Islands project gets Putrajaya’s final approval

The go-ahead was given with 71 conditions under an elaborate environmental management plan.

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang South Islands (PSI) project has been given the final approval by federal environmental regulators.Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the approval was given by the natural resources, environment and climate change ministry with 71 conditions under an elaborate environmental management plan.

“It must be stressed that all reclamation work would begin once the environmental management plan is given the approval,” he told reporters at Komtar today.

The project previously received fierce opposition from fishermen, environmentalists and the G25 group of prominent retired civil servants over concerns that it would adversely affect marine life.

Chow said that with the letter of approval dated April 11, Penang was set to reclaim all three islands under PSI, although work would only begin on the first island on the coast next to the Bayan Lepas airport runway.

He said the 71 conditions included the social impact management plan and an ecology offset master plan.

The RM10 billion reclamation project is a state government initiative to finance the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan through the reclamation of the three islands covering 1,620ha off Permatang Damar Laut.

PSI project delivery partner SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd (SRS) will reclaim one of the three islands. Consortium partner Gamuda Bhd will pay RM3.8 billion to reclaim half of Island A as part of a 30:70 joint venture with a state government-linked company, with the lion’s share to be held by SRS.

SRS will reclaim the other half of the island when there is demand.

Earlier reports indicated that the first half of the island will be ready to be developed by 2025. Gamuda had said the PSI, commonly known as the “three islands project”, would one day rival Singapore’s Marina Bay. FMT

DOE greenlights Penang reclamation project, SAM sees red

The Department of Environment (DOE) has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the contentious Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project.

This was revealed by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today, who said the project is expected to start in the third quarter of this year.

According to Chow, the DOE approved the EIA in a letter dated April 11.

The approval, he said, was subject to compliance on 71 conditions including the implementation of a social impact management plan, and an ecology offset master plan.

Plans to comply with the 71 conditions will be outlined in the environmental management plan (EMP).

Once the EMP is approved by the DOE, development will start, Chow said.

“We will start with reclamation works for Island A first, which will feature a green tech park,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.

Formerly known as the Penang South Reclamation (PSR), the PSI is a state government project involving the reclamation of three islands to build industrial zones, tourist attractions, education hubs, and housing projects, including affordable housing.

The artificial islands will span 1,821ha, equivalent to the size of 2,550 football fields.

The state government has promised that the project will be developed sustainably, touting its ability to create jobs and spur the economy.

However, local fisherfolk are staunchly against the project, citing concerns about its impact on both the environment and their livelihoods.

The fisherfolk had initially succeeded in torpedoing the first EIA for the project, prompting the state government to submit a fresh plan which is the one approved by the DOE.

One of those who are in support of the fisherfolk and want the PSI project canned was former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

The fisherfolk had also been lobbying to meet with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the matter.

‘Disappointing’

Meanwhile, environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) expressed dismay that the DOE approved the EIA.

SAM – who was on the EIA technical committee – said those who had raised concerns and objected to the PSI include fisherfolk associations, the Fisheries Department, the Fisheries Development Board, and the Fisheries Research Institute.

“They raised their concerns that the reclamation will affect the fisheries sector, fisherfolks’ livelihood, and food security as the reclamation area has high marine biodiversity.

“We are disappointed that the new government is ignoring food security, environmental integrity, and the actual scale of negative and long-term impacts caused by the reclamation.

“This carbon-intensive and capital-intensive reclamation project runs contrary to today’s planning imperative, which calls for climate-resilient development,” said SAM honorary secretary Mageswari Sangaralingam in a statement today.

Mageswari also claimed that the factor of sourcing for sand and other fill material such as rocks had been omitted when assessing the scale of the project’s impact. MKINI

FREE MALAYSIA TODAY / MKINI