SAJ Ranhill cannot supply water to Forest City, Johor State Assembly told

Monday, 27 Nov 2017


ISKANDAR PUTERI:? The Johore state assembly today debated that water supply services company, SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd, might supply water to the developer of the Forest City project in Gelang Patah.

Forest City is a 1,386 hectare mixed development project, which includes a smart city on man-made islands along the Johor Straits.
Datuk Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid Tengku Haamid Jumat (BN-Kempas) said such a move would be against the state's government's decision that the developer source its own water supply for the project.

"I understand that the state government has conveyed this decision to the developer. Forest City has to draw water from a desalination process or through other mechanisms deemed fit.

“This will allow the state government to accord priority to domestic households,” he said, adding that rumours were rife that  Forest City would obtain water supply from SAJ Ranhill.

“If there is truth in the rumour, then  this just goes to show the developer's irresponsible attitude and total disregard for the state's government's clear directive to source its own water supply,” he said in the Johore state assembly here today.

He also said Johoreans should not suffer at the expense of the developer's profit-oriented motive which could spark a water crisis in the state.

Tengku Putra Haron revealed that the Forest City project, when completed, required more than 600 million cubic meters of water, daily, which was almost equal to Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang's daily water supply.

Based on the high demand for water supply, he was concerned that SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd may compromise on domestic household supply.

"I am worried that this can create a very serious water crisis if the issue is not delved into deeply,” he added.

Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid also urged the state government to take control of SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd via a mandatory takeover for fear that it may fall into the hands of a foreign party.

He suggested that the state government, which had cash reserves close to RM4 billion, acquire SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd from its majority shareholder, RANHILL HOLDINGS BHD.

"It's possible that the major shareholder may sell SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd to a foreign party. If that happens, we will lose control of not only our water industry but our national sovereign asset,” he pointed out.

Tengku Putra suggested that the state government make a bid for the water supply company and if it is rejected, it should then make a mandatory takeover of  SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd under the Water Services Industry Act 2006.- Bernama



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gold Bars Fight Covid Kits for Space on the Plane

Image
Before the health crisis, gold typically traveled around the world on commercial flights. Swiss refiner Valcambi SA tried for five straight days last month to move a shipment of gold out of Hong Kong. Twice the metal was packed carefully onto a plane, only to be offloaded again. After daily attempts and numerous arguments, the gold suddenly arrived in Switzerland without warning, said Chief Executive Officer Michael Mesaric. “We had not even asked for a slot.” The coronavirus crisis has shone a light on a corner of precious metals markets that usually draws little attention: the logistics of transporting gold, silver and other metals across the world. The business is dominated by companies including Brink’s Co., G4S Plc, Loomis AB and Malca-Amit, which link miners and refiners with gold trading and consumption hubs around the world. In normal times, gold bars worth millions of dollars travel the world in the cargo holds of commercial planes, just a few meters from
Read more

US on track to unseat Saudi Arabia as #2 oil producer in the world

Image
© Jim Urquhart / Reuters New forecasts from the International Energy Agency say the United States is on track to overtake Saudi Arabia as the second-largest oil producer in the world, just behind Russia, according to the organization’s report on Friday. "This year promises to be a record-setting one for the US,"  the IEA wrote in its monthly market report.  "Relentless growth should see the US hit historic highs above 10 million barrels per day, overtaking Saudi Arabia and rivaling Russia during the course of 2018 – provided OPEC/non-OPEC restraints remain in place.” OPEC players have been wary of the strength of the American shale market as the nation’s products reach new countries every month. "US growth in 2017 beat all expectations ... as the shale industry bounced back, profiting from cost cuts, (and) stepped up drilling activity,"  the IEA added.  "Explosive growth in the US and substantial gains in Canada and Brazil will far outweigh pot
Read more

Can Anything Stop The Shale Surge?

Image
By  Tom Kool  - Jan 19, 2018, 2:00 PM CST Higher oil prices may lead to huge growth in U.S. shale production, according to revised predictions from both OPEC and the IEA. Friday, January 19, 2018 Oil prices fell back a bit at the end of this week. EIA data shows a rise in U.S. production, but also another strong decline in inventories. Brent is struggling to hold above $70, and benchmark prices await some direction. IEA: Explosive growth in U.S. shale will test oil prices.  The IEA’s latest Oil Market Report paints a mixed picture for prices. Clearly, the market is tightening, the IEA says, but it also says that shale growth will be “explosive” this year. The agency revised up its forecasts growth for U.S production from 870,000 bpd to 1.1 mb/d in 2018. That, combined with gains from other non-OPEC countries, could end the price rally, although the IEA says a lot of uncertainty remains.  Venezuelan oil production plunges by over 200,000 bpd . Venezuela’s Decemb
Read more