Wilhelmina, Ecoscience International to build RM283 mln TG2 black pellet plant in Pahang

KUALA LUMPUR: Dutch renewable energy company Maatschappij Wilhelmina NV (Wilhelmia) will invest US$60 million (RM283.86 million) and collaborate with Ecoscience International Bhd (EIB) to build and manage a TG2 black pellet plant in Kawasan Perindustrian Gebeng Fasa III, Kuantan, Pahang.

Wilhelmina shall finance, own, and operate the TG2 black pellet plant, while Ecoscience will undertake the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) work.

The two companies are expected to complete an EPC and master manufacturing agreement by the fourth quarter of 2024.

Wilhelmina co-founder and chief executive officer Barthold van Doorn said the plant, with a capacity of 15 metric tonnes per hour, will take up to 18 months to be completed, and work is expected to commence by the fourth quarter of 2024.

Upon completion, he said Ecoscience will operate, maintain and manage the TG2 Black Pellet Plant on behalf of Wilhelmina.

The plant is set to be the first of its kind in the world to use empty fruit bunches (EFB) as feedstock to produce an environmentally sustainable drop-in coal replacement fuel.

Van Doorn said Wilhelmina chose Malaysia as its first location for the plant because the country generates nearly 20 million tons of EFB waste a year.

“Instead of letting the EFB decay or fill landfills, they can be transformed into a clean and high-energy coal replacement that could reduce as much as 12 million tonnes of methane, equivalent to 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide,” he told the media after the collaboration agreement signing ceremony yesterday.

Van Doorn added that Wilhelmina had earmarked several locations in Malaysia and other countries, such as Japan, Indonesia and Cambodia, to establish more TG2 black pellet plants which will also use other agricultural wastes such as coconut husks and rubber tree wood, among others, as feedstock.

Meanwhile, EIB chairman Datuk Tan Yee Boon said that embracing sustainability becomes imperative for preserving ecosystems and ensuring the well-being of future generations in the face of climate change and resource depletion.

“Against this backdrop, we are proud to play a key EPC role in this TG2 black pellet plant, reflecting our commitment to sustainable energy production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.