THE Penang South Reclamation project has been scaled down to the construction of one artificial island instead of three, Free Malaysia Today reports.

This was done upon the advice of the prime minister, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Chow said the size of the project will be halved to 930ha on a single island south of the Penang International Airport runway.

He also said only 115 fishermen would be affected by the project compared to 496 if the three islands were to be built.

“Overall, the development of Silicon Island (formerly Island A) will take about 20 years, including topside development,” he told reporters in George Town today.

On April 30, Chow announced that the environmental impact assessment for the project had received the conditional approval of the Environment Department (DOE).

The project initially involved the development of three islands over an area of 1,821ha, off Permatang Damar Laut near Bayan Lepas, but the plan was criticised by fishermen and environmental groups because it would damage the marine ecosystem.

The DOE’s approval of the project comes with 71 conditions.

The Penang government plans to fund the project through real estate development on the reclaimed island.

Meanwhile, Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meena Rahman did not agree with the decision to scale down the project and called for it to be scrapped. 

She said even one island could have a negative environmental impact on the fishermen in the area. 

“The single island is still very large and will affect the fishery spawning grounds and the environment.

“Plus, it will involve large volumes of sand for the reclamation from Penang or Perak waters, causing more damage,” she said in a statement.

She added that the project will degrade marine habitat and disrupt shrimp migration.

“So it is not only the fishermen in the immediate site (who will be affected) but also those along the Penang, Kedah and Perak waters.

“So scrap the project, not scale down.” – May 11, 2023.