New seawater desalination plant to enhance water sustainability at POIC Lahad Datu

Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, who represented the Chief Minister, witnessing the exchange of documents between Jetama CEO Datuk Ahmad Naim Bin Uddang (right) and POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Fredian Gan, while POIC Sabah Chairman Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee (second left) Jetama Chairman Datuk Yussof Abd Manan (second right) and Permanent Secretary of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry (MIDE), Datuk Thomas Logijin (right) look on.

4 March 2025

KOTA KINABALU: A new seawater desalination plant is set to enhance water security and sustainability at POIC Lahad Datu, with an initial capacity of 0.5 million litres per day (MLD), scalable to 2.5 MLD.

This project, a collaboration between Jetama Sdn Bhd and POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd, marks Sabah’s first commercial-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) filtration system for industrial water production.

Datuk Ahmad Naim Bin Uddang, CEO of Jetama, stated that this initiative will ensure a sustainable water supply for the POIC Lahad Datu Industrial Zone.

This partnership between two state-owned entities represents a significant shift in Sabah’s water production, which has traditionally depended on river sources. The modular, mobile, and upgradable system will expand the state's water capacity and provide a scalable solution for remote areas.

The official agreement was signed today during a document exchange at the Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu, witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, represented by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

Also present were Jetama Chairman Datuk Yussof Abd Manan and Datuk Thomas Logijin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship (MIDE).

The plant will be constructed on a 3.21-acre site at POIC Lahad Datu, Phase 2 (Land 32A), with seawater intake sourced from the Dry Bulk Terminal.