PENGUNJUNG SETIA

04 Januari 2009

RM17bil REFINERY PROPOSED

By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH

TANGKAK: The Johor state government has received a RM17bil proposal to set up a petroleum refinery.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said an international company planned to set up the plant in Teluk Ramunia in Kota Tinggi.

He added that the matter had been referred to the Malaysian Indus­trial Development Authority (Mida).

He said the state needed to study the proposal as the project involved petroleum and could impact the envi­ronment in the surrounding areas.

“I was informed by Mida three days ago on the proposal but we need to undertake detailed studies of the project first,” he said during a meeting with Umno branch leaders in Kesang on Friday evening.

“We want to determine the effects it will have on the ecological system as well as on the local fishermen and tourism industry in the area.”

Abdul Ghani said the state had no problem regarding land as it had about 1,200ha in Teluk Ramunia, which could house industries, including heavy industry.

He also said the state continued to attract investments despite the global economic meltdown and attracted about one-third of the total investment in the country.

He said Johor also focused on developing small-scale projects to provide F-Class contractors with jobs to generate downstream economic activities for the people.

He said the Government adopted a similar move when Mala

ysia was hit by the economic recession in 1997 and he felt it was vital for the state to provide more small-scale projects.

“We also hope the current economic recession would be resolved soon with fund injections by the United States, Japan and the Euro­pean nations,” he added.

SOURCE: THE STAR, Sunday January 4, 2009

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