The government is set to collaborate with the private sector to establish 18 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants across Peninsular Malaysia, as revealed by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp). The chairman of SWCorp, Hee Loy Sian, stated that the construction of a WTE plant is projected to cost between RM500 million and RM1 billion, depending on its waste-processing capacity, which can range from 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes.
Hee announced that the construction of these WTE plants will take place over a period of 10 years and will be implemented in stages. “We will also work with the private sector for this purpose because of the high costs involved,” he explained.
Currently, there is one operational WTE plant in Negeri Sembilan. Plans are in place for the next plant to be built in Bukit Payung, Johor, followed by another in Sungai Udang, Melaka. Hee made these statements after officiating the closing and prize-giving ceremony of the 2024 state-level School Recycling Competition (Perkiss) in Johor yesterday.
Hee highlighted the necessity of these WTE plants in addressing the long-term shortage of landfill sites. “Currently, some states face a critical shortage of landfill space, but this issue is being addressed by the government. We aim to reduce groundwater and air pollution caused by existing waste disposal sites.”
He further noted the increasing value of land in Malaysia, indicating that using land as landfill sites is not a sustainable option. “If we want to reuse the land, we would need to wait up to 50 years, which is too long,” he added.
