Jelutong landfill deadline extended again, to January 2027

Penang has extended the Jelutong landfill project again, this time to 31 January 2027, although the previous deadline of 18 October 2026 passed without an approved environmental impact assessment (EIA). State exco member H'ng Mooi Lye disclosed the extension in his winding-up speech in the state assembly on 4 November 2026. The project, under which PLB Engineering Bhd would rehabilitate the old dump and reclaim 70 acres off Karpal Singh Drive, "has not been cancelled", he said.

Why another extension

• The DOE letter: a Department of Environment letter dated 28 September 2026 said land-use compatibility issues must be resolved before the EIA can be considered. The new deadline is meant to give time for that
• A planning route: PLANMalaysia's guidelines on temporary planning permission for land-use compatibility went to the State Planning Committee on 29 October for adoption
• PLB's application: on 2 November PLB applied to PLANMalaysia Penang to amend its planning permission so it can place and run recycling machinery on the land for a limited period. The application is under consideration
• "Not a privilege": H'ng said any extension must rest on reasonable technical and legal grounds, and any decision to cancel must follow a review of the agreement's terms, the legal position and the financial impact on all parties

The fourth supplementary agreement

• Signed: 16 October 2026, two days before the old deadline
• The fee: the RM20 million balance of the RM25 million project management fee is payable at RM5 million a year, the first within 30 days of the permit to start work. With no permit yet, nothing is due. The Penang Development Corporation, the project manager, has received RM5 million
• The reclamation: the 70 acres can be reclaimed only after the EIA and other reports are approved. H'ng said the reclamation's master layout was approved on 27 October 2022

The residents' side

• No new EIA: the residents' group ProtectKarpal said the DOE's EKAS register, checked on 26 October, showed PLB's last submission, received on 18 March 2026, marked "tidak diluluskan" (not approved), with nothing filed since. Penang DOE confirmed this by phone
• Its demands, in a statement Aliran published on 2 November, before the extension was disclosed: that Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow honour his pledge of no further extension, start terminating the 2020 joint development agreement under clause 18.1, reject the 70 acres, and give residents a formal role in the rehabilitation plan
• MCA: Penang MCA chairman Tan Teik Cheng asked the state on 29 October to publish PLB's compliance record and confirm there would be no further extensions

PLB's latest results

• Year to 31 August 2026: revenue of RM92.9 million and a net loss of RM46,000, after a fourth-quarter loss of RM13.4 million (filed on 29 October)

Read all about it: Jelutong landfill and the Karpal Singh Drive reclamation — our standing page on the project, with the full history and what to watch before 31 January 2027.