Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) said the environment, health and food security were other factors in saying no to the proposed project which has been relocated twice following repeated rejections.
Green SURF representative Wong Tack said this in response to Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin’s statement that it was wrong for those opposing the move to “object for the sake of objecting.”
Wong said it was clear that Chin had failed to read various reports including the one prepared by world renowned energy expert, Prof Daniel Kammen which Green SURF had commissioned.
“The study shows the other options that Sabah has including biomass from oil palm waste, and geothermal energy, apart from gas which comes from our shores.
“The study listed cost effectiveness of the options in comparison to coal. It is wrong for Chin to indicate through his statement that renewable energy is only about tapping energy from the sun. We are not only talking about solar energy,” Wong said in a statement issued today.
Wong also questioned Chin for stating that renewable energy was not matured enough at present, and that those objecting should reconsider.
“The Minister (Chin) is not mature enough about renewable energy, and is irresponsible. The issue has been on the table for so long and he is talking as though it’s the first day of the campaign against the project.
“I would like to repeat my past call for him to resign. He is not qualified to be there. He is a “black” minister for supporting coal, not a green minister.
“What is the point of having the words green technology in the Ministry’s portfolio? This is just green washing to show the world Malaysia is going green,” he said.
Wong also said the push by the Ministry for a coal plant was an embarrassment and insult to the Prime Minister who had told the world in Copenhagen last year that Malaysia would cut its carbon emissions by 40 per cent in 2020 compared to 2005 levels.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad recently stated in its annual report that Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd will resubmit its Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) study, but failed to report that the Department of Environment (DOE) rejected the study in August.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment