KUALA SELANGOR, June 12 — With the construction of three Selangor waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, 800ha meant for landfills will be freed up for housing, industrial activity, and economic endeavours, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He added that these WTE plants are an important transitional step towards more sustainable solid waste management, which would no longer depend on landfills that require vast land.
“With the … three WTE plants, Selangor can save over 2,000 acres (800ha) of land that was previously needed for landfills. This land can be used for the development of housing, business, and other economic activities that add value for the state.
“This is the transition I talked about for Selangor’s waste management. From the previous (way) of managing waste through landfills, now we move to more sustainable management through the (WTE) technology,” he said at the launch for the Jeram 1 WTE Plant (WTE1) at the Integrated Solid Waste Management Centre here today.
At a media conference after the launch, Amirudin said the WTE2 in Jeram will be done by year end, while WTE3 in Tanjung Duabelas will be done by early 2028.
He explained that the combined waste processing capacity of the three plants, which cost RM2 billion to build, would reach 5,500 tonnes a day, reducing the amount of waste headed for landfills from around 8,000 tonnes a day now to about 2,500 to 3,000 tonnes a day.
“(At least) 1,500 tonnes can be processed at WTE1. If WTE2 is complete, we (can process) 3,500 tonnes, and the remaining 2,000 can be managed in Tanjung Duabelas.
“All three would decrease (the amount) from 7,000, maybe now it is 8,000 tonnes, of waste managed every day, which means there is more or less 2,500 to 3,000 tonnes that will be managed (with) landfills.
“There is still a need for landfills because waste from WTE requirements must be disposed of in landfills, even if the waste seems lighter, smaller.
“Industrial waste that must be (processed) also can’t be managed with WTE. That’s why we still need landfills, but what’s important is they are much smaller in size and much more sustainable,” Amirudin explained.
WTE1, which reached its Commercial Operation Date on May 13, was wholly developed by Worldwide Holdings Bhd, a subsidiary of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).
The plant can process up to 1,500 tonnes of solid waste a day and generate 26MW of electricity, enough to power at least 26,000 homes.
