BINTULU – Sarawak will implement the construction of the Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) system route in Bintulu within five years, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The route will connect the town of Bintulu with Tanjung Kidurong, which will be developed as a petrochemical product production hub and medical hub.
“With the construction of this ART route, Bintulu will be the second place after Kuching with this public transport system,” he said during the Bintulu Development Authority appreciation ceremony tonight.
According to him, the construction will meet demand for the service in line with industrial development in Tanjung Kidurong that will create 15,000 employment opportunities in the next four years.
Abang Johari said that the initial phase of the medical hub was carried out by a company from the United States with an investment value of RM200 million.
He said the second phase will have an investment value of RM800 million by the company.
“This is a sign that the private sector has confidence in the economic policy brought by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak to Sarawak.
“This economic policy will be a catalyst for post-pandemic development until 2030, and will contribute 6-8% to gross domestic product,” he said.
The methanol plant, fully owned by the Sarawak government, will be the first hydrogen gas production centre in Malaysia.
A total of 10,000 tonnes of hydrogen will be produced at the centre, which will be purchased by Samsung from South Korea and Sumitomo from Japan.
Apart from being transportation for industrial workers, Abang Johari said that the ART could be used by foreign tourists who wanted to visit Similajau National Park.
He also stressed that the development of Bintulu, once a fishing village occupied by 5,000 residents and now an industrial area with a population of 230,000, is the result of a development plan brought by the Bintulu Development Authority since it was established 44 years ago. – Bernama, March 22, 2022
