Pipe, but no gas - The Sun

PENANG (May 02, 2008): By Himanshu Bhatt

The new state government has been hit with a puzzle. It has detected a newly-built gas pipe running through the three mainland districts of the state -- but it does not carry gas.

“There is a gas pipe, but there is no gas,” chief minister Lim Guan Eng told a press conference after the inaugural session of the state assembly today.

“We are trying to get details of the project,” he said. “We have asked for clarification with Petronas and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), but so far there has been no response.”

He stressed that due to the lack of supply, the state has lost RM 1 billion in potential investments.
For example, a major German interest, which he declined to name, was looking at setting up an industrial base in Penang but has pulled out, Lim revealed.

The gas is badly needed by industries to operate important production and maintenance systems like solar energy devices, he explained.

“We understand the pipe was completed some time ago. It is also running through other states that have been affected just like us. It is difficult to understand why Malaysia, an exporter of gas, is not able to supply gas within its own country."

He hopes this matter can be resolved soon. "We understand there are other states through which this pipe passes which are similarly affected.”