Investors to set up biomass processing plants in Sabah
Published on: Thursday, November 21, 2013
Kota Kinabalu: The State Government has identified investors with expertise in bio-technology to invest and set up biomass processing plants here in Sabah.Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister, Datuk Raymond Tan said the government at the moment is working with several factory and plantation owners to create awareness among them on the potential in biomass-based downstream industry.The technology in this activity, he said, is expanding rapidly and is expected to mature after 2015.ADVERTISEMENT Among the downstream products it is capable of producing are biofuels, biobased chemicals, bio ethanol such as petrol, diesel, jet fuel and bio-based chemical that could produce bioplastic, nutraceuticals and others."In future, we are confident that these new resources would contribute to the new income sources for Sabah's economy," he said when winding up for his ministry at the State Legislative Assembly sitting, Wednesday.Next year, he said, would be a challenging year for everyone especially his ministry to ensure the entry of investors into Sabah is maintained like last year and this year.He said that apart from continuing the efforts to attract investors to develop the sector that are related to petroleum and palm oil on industrial sites that have been prepared, the government is also making effort to explore the potential in biomass that are generated by the palm oil industry.ADVERTISEMENT According to him, the total solid waste of dry biomass is expected between 85 tonne and 110 tonne annually by 2020 while liquid waste biomass, between 70 tonne and 110 tonne.Tan said his ministry has targeted an investment of RM3.883 billion since 2012.
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"I am happy to inform the Dewan that as of July this year, the report by Malaysia Investment Development Authority (Mida) showed that Sabah has received investments worth RM2.840 billion."It is expected that by end of this year, we will achieve our target or more," he said.For the past two years, he said, Sabah has been a destination for investors in the country.Industrial sites such as the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), Lahad Datu Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) and Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (Sogip), he said, have attracted the investors to come to Sabah.On large scale industry such as the Sogip in Sipitang and POIC in Lahad Datu, it was built on the respective location based on the distance between it and available raw materials, jetty and port, infrastructure, water and electricity and telecommunication.There are 1,025 small and medium industries (SMIs) throughout Sabah at the moment, he said and that it provided 75,136 employment opportunities.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Regarding the abandoned Star City Development project, he said AC Property Development is the developer.He said the Sabah Urban Development Corporation (SUDC) as the owner of the land concerned also faces similar predicament as the buyers of the Star City project. "SUDC and the buyers are still claiming what should have been their rights until now (from the developer)," he said.