Region’s biggest steel plant to be in Samalaju
Sarawak moving towards industry 4.0 through mill capable of producing 10 million tonnes per year
A steel manufacturing plant with a production capacity of 10 million tonnes per year, said to be the biggest in the region, will be built in Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu by investors from China.
When completed, this stateof-the-art facility will be one of the most advanced steel manufacturing plants in the region employing more than 4,000 operation personnel.
The project’s earthwork is expected to begin by year-end while the construction proper would start by mid next year.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg received a courtesy call from the investors Thursday, to update him on the progress of the multibillion ringgit project.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan who is also Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development, Assistant Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Malcom Mussen Lamoh, and the ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Liaw Soon Eng were also present.
The Chinese delegation comprised Zhang Meng Xing president of Metallurgical Corporation, Xu Jun vicepresident of CCCC International Investment Holding Co, and Wang Wenan chief executive officer of Wenan Iron & Steel Co Ltd.
Zhang told the chief minister that the plant’s proposed production capacity had been increased from the original 3.5 million tonnes to 10 million tonnes per year, making it the largest steel manufacturing plant in the region.
The project will incorporate the latest smart technology and environmentally-friendly design utilising 5G technologies, in collaboration with Huawei.
Zhang said this was in line with Sarawak’s policy of moving its industries toward Industry 4.0, as envisaged by the chief minister.