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2. In the news!
Alternatives to coal option in Sabah
Written by Chan Kok Leong Thursday, 24 June 2010 11:06 - Last Updated Thursday, 24 June 2010 11:12
This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, June 24, 2010. Link to the original article here.
KUALA LUMPUR: A general sentiment of euphoria and a sigh of relief would have marked the prime minister’s announcement that three more power plants will be built in Sabah during the 10th Malaysia Plan.
The plants, with a total capacity of 700MW, are expected to be constructed in the five-year development master plan. “There has always been a case of suppressed demand in Sabah,” said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok in welcoming the announcement.
“The state economy could be in a better position if industries were allowed to grow here. But it’s a chicken-and-egg situation. Because of the lack of power, industries are reluctant to move here and so power producers did not see the need to invest in improving their capacity,” said Dompok, the Member of Parliament for Penampang.
According to an independent report produced by the University of California, Berkeley, Sabah currently uses 700MW of the 900MW produced by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and five other independent power producers (IPPs). SESB currently operates three types of power plants — hydro (8%), diesel (10%), gas (60%), medium fuel oil (19%) and biomass (2%).
Forty-eight percent of the gas-powered plants are operated by IPPs. The report entitled Clean Energy Options for Sabah noted that electricity demand in the state was growing between 8%-10% from 2000-2006 while GDP grew at an average of 3%-4% for the same period. With consumption estimated to grow at 7%, Sabah will consume 1,000MW by 2015 and 1,500MW by 2015.
But for power-starved Sabah, the sense of respite was shortlived. Along with two gas-based plants in the west coast, the government had announced that a coal-powered plant would be built in the eastern part of the state. For Sabah, which has on average the highest incidence of power interruptions in the country, this would be their first coal-powered electricity plant.
SESB had planned to build a 300MW coal-powered plant in the Felda area of Tungku in Lahad Datu. This is the third attempt by the Tenaga Nasional Bhd subsidiary after efforts to have the plant in Silam, Lahad Datu and Sandakan were thwarted by the state government and local residents.
Now, SESB is again facing resistance from environmentalists and conservationists who are against its efforts to build the plant in the east coast of Sabah. According to Sabah Re-Unite to Power the Future (Green Surf), the location of the plant is too close to the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, which lies off the northeastern coast of Sabah.
Its proximity to the Tabin Wildlife Reserve could have disastrous repercussions, Green Surf spokesperson Cynthia Ong told The Edge Financial Daily. Ong, who is from the Land Empowerment Animals People non-government organisation, and four other NGOs presented a memorandum in Parliament on Tuesday, urging the government to reconsider building the coal-powered plant in Sabah.
The group, comprising of Ong and representatives from Malaysian Nature Society, Partners of Community Organisations and WWF-Malaysia, presented the memorandum to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
“The impact from this plant will include pollution of the water and air and increased shipping through coral reefs to import coal from Indonesia. A coal plant in this location could have catastrophic implications on the ecosystem,” said Ong.
She added there are other alternatives to using coal to generate electricity in Sabah. “But it seems like the government has gone for the simplest option without considering other choices like biomass,” she added.
Dompok, who oversees palm oil industries, said that he could sympathise with the NGOs. “Sabah has always been a very green state and this should be preserved,” said the Upko president. He said that gas and biomass are good alternatives to power generation in Sabah as the state produces both items without having to import coal. Currently Sabah has the largest concentration of oil palm plantations in the country.
“Sabah has 12-13 trillion cubic feet of natural gas which can be tapped for power generation. With the current technology, liquefied gas can be transported from Kimanis on land to the east coast for power generation,” said Dompok.
The minister said that although the use of bio-gas and biomass plants to generate electricity is not yet a complete solution, it can still contribute towards power production in the state. As for rural areas which are not connected to the grid, Dompok said that micro-hydro stations are a viable option.
In the report Clean Energy Options for Sabah, the University of California researchers examined the use of biomass waste, hydropower, solar, wind, geo-thermal and demand-side energy efficiency in power generation for the state.
Using the data to generate cashflow projections and taking into account Malaysia’s “Pioneer Tax Allowance” and other incentives, the report concluded that biomass waste projects at large palm oil mills were cost-competitive with coal.
“Feeding unused palm oil waste into these efficient combustion systems solves two environmental problems at once; the problem of waste disposal in open ponds and landfills and the problem of supplying Sabah’s energy demand,” said the report in its executive summary.
“Based on 2008 palm oil industry production statistics, we calculate that 700MW of theoretical baseload capacity will be available from palm oil waste by 2020 and that over 400MW of this capacity is economically feasible and achievable via a four-project per year ramp-up programme,” it added.
The report also said that hydropower and other river-hydropower options were cost competitive with coal.
According to the report, geothermal was less cost-competitive while solar options are currently 10 times as expensive as coal in Malaysia although Sabah receives strong solar radiation.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
DEIA OUT!! Lots of BS in it...
Dear friends,
Please take time to read and comment on this pathetic Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA), after comments are complied (we have a month until July 17th) then they should official approve or not or add conditions before building the plant.
You can download the whole report here at : http://www.sendspace.com/file/36en34
Be patient it will take a few hours! Read sections that you may contribute to and write to them (details in the DEIA) but most importantly post your comments at our Facebook page so we can compile everything! The link is : http://bit.ly/cOw5uO
Thank all, this is CRUNCH time! Let's act NOW!
Green SURF
Please take time to read and comment on this pathetic Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA), after comments are complied (we have a month until July 17th) then they should official approve or not or add conditions before building the plant.
You can download the whole report here at : http://www.sendspace.com/file/36en34
Be patient it will take a few hours! Read sections that you may contribute to and write to them (details in the DEIA) but most importantly post your comments at our Facebook page so we can compile everything! The link is : http://bit.ly/cOw5uO
Thank all, this is CRUNCH time! Let's act NOW!
Green SURF
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Parliament to debate coal power-Malaysiakini
Photo taken from Malaysia KiniJoseph Sipalan
Jun 15, 10
2:27pm
(Taken from Malaysia Kini, to subscribe to Malaysia Kini, go to: www.malaysiakini.com)
Original Malaysia Kini article link
Anti-coal power coalition Green Surf has made inroads into Parliament, persuading speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia to set aside time to debate the controversial coal-powered plant in Sabah.
Pandikar (right) gave his word that MPs from both sides of the divide will get 30 minutes each to debate the issue, though the issue is only expected to be raised when debate ends on the 10th Malaysia Plan.
The group spoke to Pandikar in his chambers today, at a meeting arranged by Sapp's Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui.
Also present were her Sapp colleague and Sepanggar MP Eric Majimbun, Putatan MP Marcus Mojigoh of Sabah-based BN party Upko, DAP's Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Chew and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, and PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
“All I can do as speaker is to allow for this issue to be debated. Thirty minutes is a lot of time, and I hope the MPs who will speak on the issue will keep their focus on it,” Pandikar said told the group.
He advised the coalition to continue pushing its case through the relevant government channels, stressing that they should emphasise facts and figures and avoid using politically-tinged arguments.
At a press conference later, Green Surf member Cynthia Ong said the group acknowledges the need for more power in Sabah, but said the state and federal governments should look at the many renewable energy options available to the state.
“Our coalition commissioned a report from UC Berkley California, by one of the world's leading alternative energy experts. We have all the resources necessary to go renewable in Sabah... more than many places in the world,” she said.
“Sabah has been a regional leader in conservation, and we're trying to protect that. One of our biggest resources is eco-tourism, which is also something we're trying to protect.”
At the press conference, Nurul Izzah pointed out that the issue is one of the few that cuts across political lines, as it focuses on conserving a natural heritage that is important not only to Sabah but the nation.
Memo submitted
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz accepted a memorandum from the group on behalf of premier Najib Abdul Razak, and promised to raise the issue at the next cabinet meeting.
“I understand your sentiments and, as I said, I promise to bring this matter up and hope that something can be done. I also believe the reefs, the environment, once destroyed is lost forever,” he said.
We don't want to lose this heritage which belongs to the people of Malaysia.”
Copies of the memorandum were also presented to Natural Resource and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas, the speaker and several Sabah MPs.
Letter from the WORLD to Malaysian Prime Minister!
Send letters from your part of the world to the Malaysian Prime Minister letting him know you too are concerned about the coal fired power plant in Sabah, North Borneo, Malaysia.
Link here for a link to a downloadable one at : Letter to PM
Or cut and paste below.
Thanks all.
Green SURF
YAB Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Office of The Prime Minister
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya,
MALAYSIA
Tel : 603-8888 8000
Fax : 603-8888 3444
Email: najib@1malaysia.com.my
(Date)
A LETTER FROM THE WORLD TO MALAYSIA
Dear Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
We applaud your Copenhagen pledge to reduce Malaysia’s carbon emission intensity by up to 40% by 2020 and admire your leadership in establishing the Coral Triangle Initiative to protect 1.6 billion acres of some of the world’s richest marine resources.
Your recent acknowledgment that Malaysia’s current fuel mix for power generation is skewed too much in favor of natural gas and coal and your commitment to exploring alternative energy sources is commendable. Your leadership is setting an example for the rest of the world.
We are therefore shocked by your support for plans to build a 300MW coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu, on the Malaysian edge of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, the apex of the Coral Triangle. As you know, this location is ecologically unique, home to 75% of all known coral species and more than half of the world’s reefs, vulnerable coastal communities, and neighbor to some of Sabah’s most precious ecosystems. Lahad Datu is a gateway to both the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, which serves as an oasis for large numbers of animals (some endangered), and to Danum Valley, largely recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. The Sabah government has begun the process to nominate neighboring Maliau Basin, one of Borneo’s most pristine and important habitats, as a World Heritage Site.
A coal-fired power plant in this area would be catastrophic for the most vulnerable and precious of our ecosystems, and any new coal plant in Malaysia will undoubtedly undercut your efforts to build a low carbon economy. In every case to date, coal has proven effective at supplying cheap energy, but at the expense of human health and longevity, biodiversity and power diversification. And if this coal-fired power plant is built, we know that more will follow and the once pristine wilderness and coral reefs will be subject to degradation and loss.
Malaysia, with its abundant resources, is in a unique position to spearhead the use of clean energy. You recently asked, “are there alternatives not yet considered, that could firmly establish Malaysia as a global green revolution leader?” The study Meeting energy demand in a developing economy without damaging the environment - a case study in Sabah, Malaysia, from technical, environmental and economic perspectives, conducted by Malaysian scientists at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University and accepted for publication by the journal Energy Policy, found that Sabah’s energy needs may be met with alternative renewable energy options at a competitive price, with less environmental impact, much lower emission of greenhouse gases, and better fuel security for Malaysia. Similarly, the study Clean Energy Options for Sabah presented in March 2010 by some of the world’s leading energy experts gives detailed recommendations on how to meet Sabah’s energy needs without the construction of the coal-fired power plant. It puzzles us as to why these reports and the alternatives they recommend have not been taken seriously. Malaysia could lead the world in a new era of renewable energy development if investors believe that you are serious in your commitment. We worry that your exemplary stance taken at Copenhagen will be seen as ‘hot air’ if the coal-fired power plant is approved, and drive away potential investment. Adding a 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Sabah (carbonizing strongly one state, and one that actually has the resource mix to decarbonize) makes a 40% national cut in carbon emission intensity impossible without cuts in other areas nationally that are simply not seen as possible.
By your pledge we know that Malaysia has a strong intention in solving the climate problem. A firm choice to halt building of coal-fired power plants is a major step towards a solution of the global warming problem. If Malaysia halted construction of this coal-fired power plant it could be a tipping point for the region and the world. There is still time to find that tipping point, but just barely. We hope that you will give these considerations your attention in setting your national policies. You have the potential to influence our joint futures on the planet.
Datuk Seri Najib, we cannot avert our eyes from the basic fossil fuel facts, or the consequences for life on our planet of ignoring these scientific facts. If we continue to build coal-fired power plants, and in ecologically sensitive areas such as Sabah, we will lock in future climate disasters associated with passing climate-tipping points. We must solve the coal problem now.
Though it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain the balance that exists on our planet, you, as Prime Minister, are in the privileged and hugely responsible position of guiding your country’s decisions. As a steward of your country and of this earth, we ask you to decide wisely for our children and for our children’s children.
The opportunity exists now for you to be a champion for Malaysia and for the world - to move forward into a clean energy future. The developing world does not need to repeat the damaging mistakes of the developed world, which now requires immense resources to repair; the developing world can lead the way for the world into the 21st century and beyond, and Malaysia has strong potential to blaze that trail. Tell us what you need to build Malaysia’s clean energy economy and we will stand beside you.
Yours sincerely,
Name
Organization
Country
Link here for a link to a downloadable one at : Letter to PM
Or cut and paste below.
Thanks all.
Green SURF
YAB Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Office of The Prime Minister
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya,
MALAYSIA
Tel : 603-8888 8000
Fax : 603-8888 3444
Email: najib@1malaysia.com.my
(Date)
A LETTER FROM THE WORLD TO MALAYSIA
Dear Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
We applaud your Copenhagen pledge to reduce Malaysia’s carbon emission intensity by up to 40% by 2020 and admire your leadership in establishing the Coral Triangle Initiative to protect 1.6 billion acres of some of the world’s richest marine resources.
Your recent acknowledgment that Malaysia’s current fuel mix for power generation is skewed too much in favor of natural gas and coal and your commitment to exploring alternative energy sources is commendable. Your leadership is setting an example for the rest of the world.
We are therefore shocked by your support for plans to build a 300MW coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu, on the Malaysian edge of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, the apex of the Coral Triangle. As you know, this location is ecologically unique, home to 75% of all known coral species and more than half of the world’s reefs, vulnerable coastal communities, and neighbor to some of Sabah’s most precious ecosystems. Lahad Datu is a gateway to both the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, which serves as an oasis for large numbers of animals (some endangered), and to Danum Valley, largely recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. The Sabah government has begun the process to nominate neighboring Maliau Basin, one of Borneo’s most pristine and important habitats, as a World Heritage Site.
A coal-fired power plant in this area would be catastrophic for the most vulnerable and precious of our ecosystems, and any new coal plant in Malaysia will undoubtedly undercut your efforts to build a low carbon economy. In every case to date, coal has proven effective at supplying cheap energy, but at the expense of human health and longevity, biodiversity and power diversification. And if this coal-fired power plant is built, we know that more will follow and the once pristine wilderness and coral reefs will be subject to degradation and loss.
Malaysia, with its abundant resources, is in a unique position to spearhead the use of clean energy. You recently asked, “are there alternatives not yet considered, that could firmly establish Malaysia as a global green revolution leader?” The study Meeting energy demand in a developing economy without damaging the environment - a case study in Sabah, Malaysia, from technical, environmental and economic perspectives, conducted by Malaysian scientists at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University and accepted for publication by the journal Energy Policy, found that Sabah’s energy needs may be met with alternative renewable energy options at a competitive price, with less environmental impact, much lower emission of greenhouse gases, and better fuel security for Malaysia. Similarly, the study Clean Energy Options for Sabah presented in March 2010 by some of the world’s leading energy experts gives detailed recommendations on how to meet Sabah’s energy needs without the construction of the coal-fired power plant. It puzzles us as to why these reports and the alternatives they recommend have not been taken seriously. Malaysia could lead the world in a new era of renewable energy development if investors believe that you are serious in your commitment. We worry that your exemplary stance taken at Copenhagen will be seen as ‘hot air’ if the coal-fired power plant is approved, and drive away potential investment. Adding a 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Sabah (carbonizing strongly one state, and one that actually has the resource mix to decarbonize) makes a 40% national cut in carbon emission intensity impossible without cuts in other areas nationally that are simply not seen as possible.
By your pledge we know that Malaysia has a strong intention in solving the climate problem. A firm choice to halt building of coal-fired power plants is a major step towards a solution of the global warming problem. If Malaysia halted construction of this coal-fired power plant it could be a tipping point for the region and the world. There is still time to find that tipping point, but just barely. We hope that you will give these considerations your attention in setting your national policies. You have the potential to influence our joint futures on the planet.
Datuk Seri Najib, we cannot avert our eyes from the basic fossil fuel facts, or the consequences for life on our planet of ignoring these scientific facts. If we continue to build coal-fired power plants, and in ecologically sensitive areas such as Sabah, we will lock in future climate disasters associated with passing climate-tipping points. We must solve the coal problem now.
Though it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain the balance that exists on our planet, you, as Prime Minister, are in the privileged and hugely responsible position of guiding your country’s decisions. As a steward of your country and of this earth, we ask you to decide wisely for our children and for our children’s children.
The opportunity exists now for you to be a champion for Malaysia and for the world - to move forward into a clean energy future. The developing world does not need to repeat the damaging mistakes of the developed world, which now requires immense resources to repair; the developing world can lead the way for the world into the 21st century and beyond, and Malaysia has strong potential to blaze that trail. Tell us what you need to build Malaysia’s clean energy economy and we will stand beside you.
Yours sincerely,
Name
Organization
Country
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