Selangor prepared to discuss merger of two incinerators
BANGI: The Selangor state government is ready to discuss the merger of two waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plant projects, namely in Batu Arang, Rawang and Jeram, Kuala Selangor, to strengthen sustainable solid waste management in the state.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government would discuss with stakeholders including the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) and the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS), Prime Minister's Department to examine the merger of the projects involved.
'We are ready to discuss with UKAS and KPKT to merge the two projects into one, in the areas around Rawang and Jeram.
'So, if it can be merged later, I think it will reduce the impact (of the WTE project) on the environment,' he said at a press conference after the launch of 'Program Tekad Pendidikan Kita Selangor 2025 here here today.
Explaining further, Amirudin said the approach of merging the two projects is also seen to be able to address the issue of increasing waste management capacity in Selangor.
'Our daily waste has reached 8,000 tonnes,' he said.
He said the state government is also looking into the possibility of opening a new WTE site in Tanjung 12, depending on the needs and suitability of the area.
'Discussions have not yet been implemented, but as a step forward, we also have to build a waste-to-energy plant for the sake of sustainability of the state's waste management,' he said.
Amirudin said the projects are still in the early stages of evaluation, including environmental impact assessment (EIA) which is expected to take a year.
The Selangor state government has approved in principle the proposed development of a WTE plant in Batu Arang in November 2022.
The proposed plant, which is to be developed on a 99.15 hectare plot of land, is expected to be able to process 2,400 tonnes of waste per day.
However, the project to develop a WTE plant in the area has been opposed by local residents as it is feared that it will have an impact on the environment, society and health.
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