Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow says negotiations for the Perak‑Penang water project will begin soon, with the cross‑border supply expected to be operational by 2030 or 2031.
“The negotiations with Perak will commence very soon, and then the project will be implemented. The target is 2030 to 2031,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the “GBS by the Sea” launch here today.
“We will be able to receive a few hundred million litres of water supply per day, which is good news for the Penang Development Corporation (PDC), as it opens up more areas for industries,” he said.
He noted that “one or two big investors” require large tracts of land, which means the state must work harder to provide supporting infrastructure such as water, power, roads, and bridges.
In July, it was reported that Perak had agreed to sell treated water to Penang under the project.
The original plan involved transferring raw water from Perak, but the current proposal is for Perak to build a treatment plant and send treated water instead.
Penang’s main water source, Sungai Muda, is projected to dry up by 2030.
On a separate matter, Chow urged Putrajaya to leverage Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship to negotiate a better deal than the final 19% tariff imposed by the US on some Malaysian exports.
“Although all the details are not finalised yet, there is still an opportunity to negotiate better deals,” he said, adding that more clarity is expected by December.
