BATU KAWAN: The Penang South Islands (PSI) will only proceed once the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is approved.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the EMP should not take too long to be approved, unlike the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
However, he said if the Department of Environment (DoE) is of the opinion that the EMP presented is incomplete and needed fine-tuning, the state government is ready to do whatever is necessary to complete the process.
"As per normal practice, EMP approval usually takes about a month or two, unlike the EIA which takes a long time.
"Each agency has their own key performance indicators (EIA) which they need to meet.
"But at this stage, if the DoE feels that the EMP submitted is incomplete, they can offer their feedback and we are open to this process," he said.
Chow was responding to statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said that the EIA approval by the DoE was not the final stage which would allow development to take place at the suggested site.
Chow, who is also Batu Kawan member of parliament, had earlier attended a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at Taman Tangling here today.
Chow said the EIA report was final with 71 conditions listed, and they are now only waiting for the EMP clearance to begin reclamation works which are set to begin in the third quarter of this year.
"Once the EIA is completed, this will be followed by the EMP which we will table to comply with all the conditions.
"Before any decision is made, many technical meetings will be held with the related agencies which would offer feedback on the reports prepared.
"On the 71 conditions (set by the DoE), we will consult with researchers on how to fulfill them. This is nothing new," he said.
The RM11 billion project was earlier this week granted EIA approval by the DoE, subject to 71 conditions.
The PSI will see large scale reclamation works done, including the building of three man-made islands spanning 1,700 hectares in total off the coast of Permatang Damar Laut near Bayan Lepas