Penang’s Contingency Plans for Future Needs

Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has drafted a Penang Water Supply Initiative 2050 (PWSI 2050), with the three contingency plans, that will be implemented from 2021 onwards.

This will include seawater desalination to meet future water supply needs.

The corporation has commissioned a feasibility study on the proposed PWSI 2050 projects and it is scheduled to be completed by January 2021. 

The first plan under PWSI 2050, Package 12A of the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant, involved the construction of a new 114 million litres per day (MLD) water treatment module.

The second contingency plan is the Sungai Perai Water Supply Scheme (SPWSS), aimed at tapping Sungai Perai as an additional raw water resource with a potential yield of 136 MLD.

The third plan is phase one of the Penang Desalination Water Supply Scheme (PDWSS) with a potential yield of 250 MLD, which is to construct a desalination facility in the southern area of the island to cater to Balik Pulau area and the upcoming three islands under the Penang South Reclamation project.

Phase one of the project is scheduled for commissioning in December 2024 and subsequent phases will be implemented until 2050. This will ensure that Penang do not face water supply problems by 2025.

PWSI 2050 will not compromise or affect the abstraction of raw water from Sungai Muda and PBAPP’s stand for 160,000 ha of rainforests in Ulu Muda to be preserved as water catchment areas.

The PWSI 2050 projects are to introduce additional water supply to meet future water demands in Penang but we will still need the SPRWTS, raw water from Sungai Muda and preservation of the Ulu Muda rainforests to ensure raw water security towards 2050