THE Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Penang South Islands (PSI) project has received conditional approval from the Department of Environment (DoE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the approval includes 71 conditions to be complied with.
“The Penang State Secretary received a letter on April 11 informing the state government of the EIA approval.
“The 71 conditions include the implementation of the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) and the Ecology Offset Master Plan (PEOM).
“Following the EIA approval, the Penang government through its project delivery partner (PDP) for the PSI project is now in the process of applying for the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) approval from the DoE.
“The EMP report contains the plans to comply with the conditions of the EIA approval,” Chow told a media conference at his office in Komtar today.
Chow said the approved EIA was for the entire PSI project, involving the reclamation of three islands – Islands A, B and C.
The tri-islands (Islands A, B and C) will be located at the south-end of the Penang island, measuring a total of 4,500 acres in land size. Island A will be 2,300 acres in size, Island B will be 1,400 acres and Island C will be 800 acres.
“Land reclamation works will only start after the PSI project receives the EMP approval from the DoE. It will begin with Island A.
“A portion of the 2,300-acre Island A has been designated as a Green Tech Park to fulfil the needs of the industry.
“Land reclamation works are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year,” he said.
Chow was quoted that Penang would become an even more well-rounded regional industrial hub with the realisation of the Green Tech Park on Island A.
He had said that the state was looking at niche upstream value chain activities, including product research, as well as design and development investments for the Green Tech Park.
“Such investments would emphasise creating top-notched working environments which would, in turn, attract talents,” he added.
Separately, after the media conference, Chow said the Penang government recognised that the climate change crisis is real.
“We must be ready for a new paradigm shift and look at how roads, towns or mitigation works are planned and implemented.
“The government and professional bodies must recognise the threat of climate change,” he said.
Chow spoke about the collective effort of addressing the long-term effect of climate change and its impact on public health via the Penang Nature-Based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCap).
PNBCap is a multilateral initiative to enhance urban resilience and reduce human and ecosystem vulnerability to climate change impacts and extreme weather events through the implementation of nature-based solutions.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat