KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 22 — The gas leak involving Petronas Gas Bhd (PGB) at the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project site in Kerteh on Saturday will not affect the progress of the rail project, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
He said immediate action was taken to shut off the gas supply once the leak was detected, followed by repairs.
“I don’t think it will affect (ECRL progress) because usually when a gas pipeline leaks, it does not explode. It is not the same as the incident in Putra Heights, it’s different.
“Although there was a leak, immediate action was taken to stop the supply. The leakage needs to be fixed and the pipeline repaired straight away,” he told reporters after officiating the BAS.MY Kuala Terengganu Service Transformation Programme at Pasar Payang here today.
Bernama had reported that police had closed the main Kerteh-Ranggon road to all vehicles following the gas leak at the ECRL Section 5 site on Saturday morning.
Loke said the incident is being investigated by several agencies, including SIRIM and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
“Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) has already submitted a report to me and NIOSH is also conducting its own probe. Since this involves Petronas’ gas pipeline, repairs will be carried out by them, and I am confident this matter can be resolved promptly,” he said.
As for the cause of the leak, Loke said a full report is yet to come.
“The cause has not yet been determined, we have not obtained the full report. The timeline for repairs can only be explained by Petronas since it involves their assets,” he said, adding that the incident is not expected to disrupt the overall ECRL development.
Meanwhile, Loke said the ECRL project, which spans Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor, was 87 per cent complete as of last month.
He said the Terengganu segment is among the fastest to be completed as land issues were resolved earlier, coupled with its flat terrain, which posed fewer construction challenges.
“In Terengganu, track works are almost complete. The only sections yet to be finished are from Bentong to Gombak, particularly the Genting Tunnel up to Gombak, which is the most challenging segment,” he said.
However, he revealed that incidents of cable theft in Pahang have disrupted work progress in the state.
“More than 1km of cables were stolen, which posed problems for the developer. They now have to review their approach to accelerate progress.
“I have already discussed this with the Home Ministry and police. More aggressive action is needed, including enforcing stricter laws to curb this issue,” he said.
Loke added that apart from causing heavy losses to the government, cable theft also poses risks to public safety.
