ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor plans to build a WTE SMART (Modular Advanced Solid Waste Recovery and Treatment) plant, which converts solid waste into energy with the aim of solving the solid waste problem in the state in the future.
National Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Ayub Jamil said the state government essentially agreed that the project would be managed by Permodalan Darul Ta’zim (PDT) in collaboration with a private company.
He said the SMART WTE project, which will be developed in Seelong, Johor Bahru at a cost of RM600 million, will use a public-private partnership model.
“The state government has agreed to embark on waste management through the waste-to-energy solution which (in turn) can be a new source of revenue for the state.
“Our subsidiary PDT is expected to participate in this investment, for which we will model it on the country’s first Smart WTE plant at Ladang Tanah Merah (Negeri Sembilan), which is led by Cypark Resources Bhd,” he said. told the Johor Legislature sitting here today.
Ayub said Cypark Resources is one of the country’s leading green energy providers and is also listed on Bursa Malaysia.
He said the plant could produce 20 to 25 megawatts of energy per hour, which requires 1,000 tons of waste, and has the capacity to produce 480 to 600 megawatts per day.
The Seelong landfill, which covers the regions of Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Kulai and Pasir Gudang, for example, can collect around 1,800 tonnes of waste per day, he added.
He was responding to oral questions from Ee Chin Li (PH-Tangkak) and Tan Hong Pin (PH-Skudai) on the state government’s efforts to reduce solid waste and the measures taken to manage the landfills that had been closed.
Additionally, Ayub said the state government plans to develop solar farms or public recreation areas in addition to landfills that have been closed.
He said Johor has nine landfills that are still functioning while three more have been closed, namely in Simpang Renggam, Bakri and Tangkak.
“The federal government has agreed to pay RM1 for a ton of waste, which we will use as capital to develop these landfills,” he said.
Additionally, Ayub said Cypark’s expertise in developing solar farms could help make this effort a success.
Johor will also kick off ‘smart waste collection’ by making Pengerang the state’s first smart city, which uses technology from Finland, early next month.
Ayub said this technology, which manages commercial, industrial and institutional waste, will be a new source of revenue for local authorities in the future. – Bernama