Integrated clinker and cement plant to be built in Tongod, Sabah

KOTA KINABALU - An integrated clinker and cement plant set to be built at Pinangah, Tongod will provide access to 5,000 tonnes of clinker per year, equivalent to 1.75 tonnes of cement annually, and is expected to create 1,000 job opportunities, especially for the local community.

Tongod is a district located in the interior region of Sabah 266 km southeast of Kota Kinabalu.

In a statement today, Sabah’s Chief Minister Department said with the state’s current requirement of 1.4 million tonnes annually, the additional supply will ensure consistent and cheaper cement prices in the state.

The signing of a joint-venture agreement between the Sabah Economic Development Corporation (Sedco) and Sri Alam Setia Sdn Bhd today will see the setting up of Borneo Cement (Sabah) Sdn Bhd to spearhead the development.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor witnessed the signing ceremony at Menara Kinabalu today.

Sedco chairman Datuk Rubin Balang and general manager Haizar RH Ajaz Nabijan signed on behalf of Sedco, while Sri Alam Setia managing director Michael Kinsuan and lawyer Hassan Murtaza signed on behalf of the company.

The project is set to transform Tongod in line with the state government’s aspiration to alleviate poverty by bringing in high-impact projects, the statement said.

The same statement also said that a separate memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed today between Borneo Cement (Sabah) Sdn Bhd and Sinoma Industrial Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd, committing the latter to complete the construction of a plant within two years. - BERNAMA