Nexus Sedenak eyes inland port, RM12b of investment in Kulai

Nexus Sedenak, a 2,940-acre industrial and logistics district on the former Ladang Air Manis estate in Sedenak, Kulai, Johor, is planned to become an inland port, Deputy Communications Minister and Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching told Bernama. She said Budget 2027 expects it to draw up to RM12 billion of investment and about 45,000 jobs, The Sun reported.

What was said

• Beyond data centres: Teo said Kulai's growth should not rest on data centres alone, and that Nexus Sedenak is planned more broadly. She also said power and water supply must keep pace with the area's fast industrial growth
• Budget 2027: presenting the budget on 9 October, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim named Nexus Sedenak a new industrial hub in the northern part of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), supported by road upgrades from the Sedenak interchange and a regional logistics network
• Target industries: Invest Johor chief executive Natazha Hariss listed advanced manufacturing, integrated logistics, agri-food technology, green technology and pharmaceuticals on 30 October
• Not yet given: where the inland port would sit, its rail link, its cost and its timing

The project

• Developer: Southern Catalyst Sdn Bhd (SOCAT), a Minister of Finance Incorporated company, which launched Nexus Sedenak in June 2026 with an estimated gross development value of about RM15 billion, The Star reported. SOCAT also calls it the Southern Catalyst Innovation District
• First works: Advancecon Holdings Bhd won an RM82.09 million contract from SOCAT for earthworks and main drainage for Phase 1, Package 1, in Mukim Sedenak, running from 4 February 2026 to 4 May 2027
• IJM Land joint venture: in May 2026 IJM Land Bhd agreed to develop 307.17 acres of industrial and commercial land inside the district, with a sales value of about RM1.96 billion over six to eight years, through IJM Land Sedenak Sdn Bhd, 70% IJM Land and 30% SOCAT. The site is less than 3km from the Sedenak toll plaza on the North-South Expressway

The neighbours

• Ibrahim Technopolis: JLand Group's 7,290-acre township, also in Sedenak, is anchored by data centres in Sedenak Tech Park
• Matrix Concepts: is buying 432 acres of agricultural land between Kulai town and the Sedenak corridor for about RM9 psf (our report)
• Paragon Globe: is pursuing land in Sedenak for an industrial park with a preliminary sales value of RM1.69 billion, The Star reported in September

Cover map: estimated location of the IJM Land and SOCAT land near the Sedenak interchange. Map: EPIQ, via EdgeProp.