Muhyiddin Opens RM7.8 Billion First Private Coal-Fired Power Plant

02 December 2009 , By BERNAMA

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today opened a 2,100MW (Megawatt) coal-powered Tanjung Bin Power Plant, the country's first private coal-fired plant, owned by Malakoff Corporation Berhad.

He said the whopping RM7.8 billion plant, incorporated with the latest clean coal technologies such as electrostatic precipitators and Flue Gas Desulphurisation, would generate adequate electricity to fuel the grwoth of Iskandar Malaysia, the country's 2,217 sq km southern region economic corridor,

Iskandar Malaysia is three times the size of Singapore and 48 times the size of Putrajaya, the Federal Government Administrative Centre.

"The plant is subjected to stringent scrutiny by the Department of Environment which has a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System connected on-line to the department," he told reporters after opening the plant whose construction began in 2003 and was completed in 37-and-a-half-month.

Saying that the plant has the latest green and environmental-friendly technology, Muhyiddin said that it was part and parcel of the technological advancement that the Government was looking forward to in this country.

The plant comprises three identical 700MW units which have 2,100MW capacity and makes up close to 42 per cent of Malakoff's total domestic power generation capacity of 5,020MW or about 25 per cent of Peninsular Malaysia's installed capacity.

Earlier, in his speech, Malakoff Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali said the successful opening of the Tanjung Bin Power Plant was a milestone for Malakoff as a leading Independent Power Producer in Malaysia.

The plant is a pioneer as one of the biggest private coal-fired plants in South East Asia.

It will become an integral part of the Johor southern region's socio-economy as it will ensure there will be sufficient energy to fuel Iskandar Malaysia's rapid growth.