Kula Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia is advancing waste-to-energy (WtE) technology as a renewable energy source, with plans to build 18 such plants nationwide with a combined capacity of 600 megawatts by 2040.
Malaysian Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sungai Udang WtE plant in Melaka state on April 2.
He said the initiative will help ease the burden on landfills while contributing to renewable energy generation and significantly reducing carbon emissions. The plan also supports the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which aims for renewable energy to account for 70% of Malaysia’s power generation capacity by 2050.
Nga Kor Ming noted that the Sungai Udang facility will be Malaysia’s second WtE plant, following the success of the first in Ladang Tanah Merah, Negeri Sembilan.
The project will be developed on a 3.96-hectare site with a total investment of 660 million RM (165 million USD). It is expected to become fully operational by 2029 under a 34-year concession period, including a three-year construction phase.
Once completed, the plant will be able to process up to 1,000 tonnes of solid waste per day and generate 22 megawatts of renewable electricity, enough to power around 46,000 households.
The facility is also projected to reduce more than 259,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to removing about 56,000 cars from the roads.
According to Nga Kor Ming, WtE technology can reduce up to 85% of the volume of solid waste sent to landfills, while the remaining 15% can be reused through circular economy approaches./.
