(EnergyAsia, November 28, Friday) — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will launch the country’s first fully integrated plastics park to be built under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) master plan on December 2.

Sited on a 140-hectare plot, the Kertih Plastics Park (KPP) will be a hub for plastics manufacturers and service providers. The hub will aggregate downstream plastics industries and linking them with the nearby Kertih Integrated Petrochemical Complex (KIPC).

Malaysian state oil and gas firm Petronas and its partners have provided a foundation through their oil, gas and petrochemical facilities.

Expected to attract investments worth a total of RM1.3 billion, the KPP will also help develop new technologies, knowledge and skills for Malaysia’s plastics industry. Through the cluster approach, the project’s developers believe the park will help develop new applications and products for use in the electrical, electronics and automotive industries.

Petronas will be building a Polymer Technology Centre to support R&D and petrochemical product innovation.

The KPP is expected to generate direct employment for more than 2,000 people in the state.