Silicon Island Development Sdn. Bhd.

Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd (“SID”), a joint venture between Gamuda and the Penang State Government is fully committed in achieving its sustainability goals for Silicon Island, a development under the Penang South Islands (PSI) project. The 2,300-acre low carbon smart city development is aligned to Penang2030 vision in addressing the issue of liveability, economy and resiliency for the State, and international standards of environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. 

Recognising how a major development can also positively impact the local community from the onset, the project introduced the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) for south Penang Island fishermen to ensure they receive aid and benefits that improve their socioeconomic situations, lives and profession even before construction began.

The SIMP, drawn up based on feedback from the fishermen and relevant government agencies, offers financial aid (ex-gratia), new jetties, larger boats equipped with more power engines, training and upskilling courses, job and business opportunities, and a home ownership scheme to fishermen from nine south Penang Island fishermen units registered with the Fisheries Department. The SIMP also provides education support programmes for fishermen’s children, who are in school and higher learning institutions, to encourage them to strive for academic excellence to secure better jobs after graduating and improve their families’ socioeconomic conditions. 

Implemented alongside the SIMP is the PSI Ecology Offset Master Plan (PEOM), which aims to mitigate the project’s impact and create new marine habitats. Programmes under the PEOM include mangrove planting, deployment of artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices, releasing fish and prawn fries, funding for marine and fisheries-related studies, building eco-friendly enhanced shorelines and others.

Although the implementation of SIMP and PEOM began in stages only last year, engagements with the local fishermen already started in 2016 with fishermen service centres – Pusat Perkhidmatan Setempat Nelayan (PPSN) – set up to reach out to the local community to find out how the PSI project could improve their lives.

With Silicon Island construction underway, the implementation is in full swing. Fishermen who have received benefits from the SIMP, such as training and job opportunities, new boats and engines, ex-gratia and others, acknowledge how the scheme has brought betterment to their lives.

SID strongly believes that both initiatives will bring long-term benefits to local fisher families and the fisheries industry, proving that development, environmental sustainability and the progress of stakeholders collaboration can go hand-in-hand to meet ESG principles that drive today’s construction business and land developments.

For more information, please visit https://gamuda.com.my/our-expertise/engineering-construction/penang-south-island/