Penang to house an eco-town

By Winnie Yeoh, The Star

July 17, 2010

Chow: We want to spur industries to adopt green technologies

GEORGE TOWN: Penang is in the process of planning an eco-town which will house ‘environmentally friendly’ manufacturing industries.

State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said a site in Batu Kawan has been identified as a possible location for the eco-town.

“We want to get industries to look into green manufacturing technology as it will not only be good for the environment but also help in marketing their products to European countries.

“The European Union requires companies to comply with certain manufacturing procedures and guidelines before the products can be sold there,” he told reporters after chairing a roundtable talk organised by the Socio-Economic Research Institute (SERI) on Brown Road yesterday.

He, however did not state when the eco-town would be launched as SERI was still studying the plan.

He said: “The institute is having talks and discussions with the World Bank on the financial aspect.

“When the eco-town is set up, preference will be given to companies which utilise green technology.”

On incentives for green technology, Chow said there was a limitation on the part of the state government, adding that giving incentives was the responsibility of the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.

“We can only help companies with green initiatives to look for location to build their factories,” he said.

The speakers at the talk included Nanyang Technology University School of Humanities and Sciences, Division of Economics head Prof Dr Euston Quah and National University of Singapore Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering Principal Fellow and Chief Scientist Prof Dr Michael Quah Cheng Guan.

Both were Penangites, who studied at Penang Free School and St Xaviers Institution respectively.