Battersea Power Station, an iconic landmark in southwest London, finally welcomed the public on 14 October 2022 after being closed for almost 40 years. Two days before its public opening, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah officiated the opening ceremony of Battersea Power Station. His Majesty was accompanied by the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Binti Almarhum Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj, along with H.E. Dato’ Zakri Jaafar, Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK. H.E. Charles Hay MVO, British High Commissioner to Malaysia also travelled to London to attend the significant occasion.

Also present during the opening ceremony, which was a proud moment for Malaysia and the UK, were Tun Arifin Zakaria, Group Chairman of Permodalan Nasional Berhad; Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Finance, Malaysia; Dominic Johnson CBE, Minister for Investment, UK; Greg Hands MP, Minister for Trade Policy, UK, and MP for Chelsea and Fulham, together with other distinguished representatives of the Battersea Power Station shareholders.

Fans of British rock band, Pink Floyd, would recall that the Battersea Power Station was immortalised on the front cover of the band’s 1977 album, Animals. Around that time, the building was approaching the end of its useful life before it closed and ceased to generate electricity in 1983.

Prior to its closure, Battersea Power Station functioned from the 1930s to 1980s, and at its peak, it was producing one-fifth of London’s power. It was supplying electricity to some of the capital’s most important landmarks.

There were numerous, but failed attempts to revive the derelict coal-fired power station, which was an instantly recognisable landmark in London. It was not until 2012, when the power station was purchased by a consortium of Malaysian investors namely S P Setia, Sime Darby Property and the Employees Provident Fund, that decades of the building’s disuse was finally brought to an end. Work began in 2013 to redevelop the 42-acre site surrounding the power station to create central London’s largest, most visionary and eagerly anticipated new riverside neighbourhoods.

The regeneration project, valued at £9 billion, will create a vibrant, mixed-use destination offering a community of homes, shops, restaurants, offices, culture and leisure venues, as well as 19 acres of public space, all serviced by an extension to the London Underground Northern Line. A new National Health Service medical facility is also under construction at the site.

The Battersea Power Station is a Grade II* listed building, therefore all efforts are made to preserve the building due to its historical and architectural significance. The heritage and history of the power station’s industrial past has been instrumental in the manner of its restoration.

Dato’ Jagan Sabapathy, Chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Sime Darby Property said: “Through the enduring strength of the Malaysian-UK relationship, the extensive experience of the shareholders, and the unrelenting ambition of the Malaysian people to deliver excellence across the globe, we have reached this tremendous milestone to bring this London icon back to life.

“Not only has a new destination been created from reviving a disused power station but a thriving community has already been established since opening the first phase of the project, Circus West Village, that we are committed to nurturing for years to come,” he said in a statement.

The reopening of the Battersea Power Station after a transformational restoration project reflects strongly on the capability of Malaysia to take on major development projects in the UK. Such outstanding achievement is representative of close bilateral, economic and investment relations between both countries.

The consortium of Malaysian companies has successfully brought Battersea Power Station back to life to become one of London’s top cultural, retail and leisure destination for future generations.

The BMCC congratulates our members, Sime Darby Property Berhad and S P Setia Berhad on this momentous venture!