Silicon Island reclamation to take 10-15 years, says Penang exco
GEORGE TOWN, May 20 — Reclamation works to create Silicon Island off the southern coast of Penang island are projected to take between 10 and 15 years to complete, the state legislative assembly was told today.
State Infrastructure, Transport, and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the reclamation for the 930-hectare island will be in two phases.
'The first phase will involve reclamation of 510 hectares, while phase two will cover the remaining 421 hectares,' he said in reply to a question from Muhamad Kasim (Bersatu-Telok Bahang) on the project's progress and the number of residents affected.
'As at April 30 this year, 60 hectares (150 acres) of land have been reclaimed, meaning the reclamation is 6.5 per cent complete since works commenced in September 2023,' he stated.
He clarified that the reclamation works for Silicon Island itself do not involve any land acquisition as they occur entirely at sea.
However, the construction of Phase One of the Pan Island Link 2A (PIL2A) highway, connecting Batu Maung to Silicon Island, necessitated land acquisitions in Permatang Damar.
Zairil said 13 land lots, 17 residential houses, two business premises, one welfare home, and one place of worship were acquired for the PIL2A project.
'The land acquisition process was approved by the authorities on May 8 last year and gazetted on July 11 last year under Section 8 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960,' he said.
He said premise owners received appropriate compensation based on valuations by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH).
'A majority of the stakeholders received compensation exceeding RM1.5 million for each lot of land, while three individuals received ex-gratia payments of RM43,500 each,' Zairil added.
He confirmed that the total compensation for land acquisition for the PIL2A project amounted to RM24,154,948.73, with ex-gratia payments totalling RM130,500.
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