PAAB to build 2 water treatment plants in Seberang Perai

 

(From left) PAAB head of corporate services division Rozaifee Abu Zaharim, CFO Zaleha Abdul Hamid, Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow, PAAB chairman Jaseni Maidinsa and CEO Zulkiflee Omar. (Facebook pic)

GEORGE TOWN: 

Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) is set to begin the construction of two new water treatment plants (WTPs) in Seberang Perai next year, with a combined value of RM1 billion.

PAAB chairman Jaseni Maidinsa said the WTPs, to be built in Sungai Perai and Sungai Muda, will have a combined capacity of 250 million litres a day (MLD).

He said the plants are expected to be completed within five years, barring any delays in land acquisition.

“The project will begin next year with the appointment of consultants and contractors,” he told FMT.

“The two projects will be funded and carried out by PAAB. Penang will then pay back (for the cost of the WTPs) over 45 years.”

PAAB, a wholly-owned company by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc), is responsible for developing the nation’s water infrastructure across Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan.

The company typically builds infrastructure such as WTPs, which are then leased back to state water companies at competitive financing rates.

In a statement issued earlier today, PAAB said once completed, the two WTPs would ensure a 15% treated water reserve margin in Seberang Perai.

This means that Penang will have 15% more treated water available than is currently needed, serving as a buffer to meet higher demand, emergencies or production interruptions.

For example, if the daily water demand is 1,000 million litres, a 15% reserve will provide an additional 150 million litres of treated water as backup.

On a separate matter, Jaseni said water from Sungai Perai, previously considered brackish and unsafe for treatment, is no longer a concern.

He explained that advances in water treatment technology now allow the river water to be treated safely.

In the recent Penang state assembly, it was revealed that six new WTPs, with a combined capacity of 600 MLD, would be built in the coming years.

These plants will primarily focus on end-of-line areas, especially in Seberang Perai Selatan, which gained attention during the Sungai Bakap by-election earlier this year.

Penang currently receives an average supply of 1,198 MLD of treated water, while the state’s average water consumption in 2023 stood at 877 MLD, an assembly reply read. - FMT