Saturday 8 June 2013

SABAH LOOKING AT COAL AGAIN?





OPTIONS..... Environmentalists continue to pose questions on why Sabah, with its vast renewable and green energy options, continues to look at coal as as a solution.

By : MARVIN AGUSTIN

KOTA KINABALU: Speculations are rife here that Sabah is re-looking the option of using coal as a power source despite Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s decision in 2011 to call off  the construction of a proposed coal-fired power plant in state following a widespread public outcry over its effects on the environment and health.

Sabah Chief Minister had also toed the line and announced that his government had scrapped plans to  use coal as a power source. Skeptics at the time had opined that the decision was 'ploy' because of the 13th general elections.

And now that the GE13 is over, those with business interests, observers said will likely try to push for the coal option to be considered as the state’s final solution for its power woes.

In fact FMT recently learnt that various parties within Musa’s administration are 're-looking' at coal as a power generation option to solve the shortage of energy supply in Sabah.

The move apparently was triggered by Sabah Electrical Sdn Bhd Managing director, Abdul Razak Salim’s admission last year that they were struggling to meet the power demands in Sabah following the damage of Independent Power Plants (IPPs) generators that led to Sabah Grid Network System losing 95MW of its power.

The question of whether the new Barisan Nasional governments at state and federal levels will still stick to their promises not to use coal and instead rely on renewable energy sources in Sabah is in doubt.

The 13th Malaysia general election saw the appointment of Kota Marudu MP, Maximus Ongkili as the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water. He replaced Sarawak’s Peter Chin Fah Kui. As it stands Ongkili is the only man standing in the way of re-tabling the coal option for oil and gas-rich Sabah.

The coal industry as a whole has been struggling amid continued soft demand that has driven down prices as many utilities companies worldwide turn to cheaper natural gas for their power-producing needs.

Coal prices dips

According to IHS McCloskey, and Petersfield, England-based data provider, as at the end of April 2013, coal prices had dropped US$2.55 (RM7.73) to US$85.85 (RM265.46) a tonne. With coal prices ‘dropping’, the option is looking to be more and more feasible.

Kalimantan, which borders Sabah and Sarawak, is the biggest exporter of low grade coal. It it has seen demand from China fall as their stock pile rises. Kalimantan is now seeking new markets.

Sabah seems to be the fastest solution as the demand for cheap energy is high in the power-starved state. In March 2009, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak agreed to the sale of excess power from Sarawak to Kalimantan but not to Sabah.

The excess of about 2,000MW from Sarawak could solve Sabah’s energy problem especially in east coast of the state which is only able to generate 950MW. While there have been plans to lay 700km long submarine cables all the way to Peninsular Malaysia, observers have noted there is no plans to link the grid in Sabah via a high capacity transmission cables.

Instead a 512km long gas pipeline costing RM4.6 billion is being built to connect Sabah and Sarawak. Following the cancellation of the coal fired power plant in 2011, the government had begun to look at other source of power options.

Why coal?

A geothermal power plant costing RM419 million has been approved in Apas Kiri, Tawau. When completed in 2014 it will generate about 36mw electricity.

A gas power plant commissioned in Kimanis worth RM1.5 billion will have the capacity to generate 300mw in 2015 while the recently completed 64MW Kubota gas power plant in Tawau, is expected to increase the energy supply to 96MW by 2014 to meet the demand of 80MW in the east coast.

Another power plant pending completion is the 300MW LGN station in Lahad Datu. This is expected to be ready by 2015.

Environmentalists continue to ask why Sabah, with its vast renewable and green energy options, continues to look at coal as as a solution. The state is after all the main producer of palm oil in the country and has a massive amount of biomass such as empty fruit bunches, palm fronds, trunks, palm kernel shells and mesocarp fiber that could be used to generate power.

The state also houses the country’s first 14MW biomass power plant in Kunak, Sabah. The plant is to be connected to the grid and has a renewable energy purchase agreement (REPA) with Sabah Energy Supply Board supply up to 10MW of green electricity for 21 years.

24 comments:

  1. cadangan untuk membina loji di Lahad Datu ada lah diantara penyelesaian yang terbaik untuk menangani kekurangan bekalan letrik di negeri ini, khusus nya di pantai timur.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kerajaan harus memastikan bekalan elektrik sentiasa mencukupi.

      Delete
  2. "Kerajaan, melalui Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB, bertekad untuk menyelesaikan masaalah kekurangan bekalan letrik di Negeri ini.

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  3. " SESB telah merumuskan strategi jangka pendek dan jangka panjang, termasuk usulan untuk penjanaan kuasa tenaga Arang Batu, demi untuk meningkatkan lagi kapasiti penjanaan elektrik

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Baiklah ada langkah alternatif digunakan.

      Delete
  4. kerajaan akan mempertimbangkan semua pandangan, termasuk analisis mengenai impak ‘environments’ akibat penjanaan tersebut.

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  5. Kekurangan bekalan Arang Batu tidak akan timbul kerana bekalan tersebut boleh di dapati dari Kalimantan, Indonesia.
    Lagi pun kapasiti Janakuasa letrik di pantai timur Sabah ketika ini 220MW, dijangka akan meningkat menjadi 400mw pada tahun 2017.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adakah kos import arang akan menyebabkan kos elektrik bertambahan?

      Delete
  6. WORLD KUDOS FOR MALAYSIA IN KEEPING SABAH COAL FREE

    KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia has received a pat on the back from the international community for its decision to call off using coal for energy in Sabah, a move that will open doors to clean power options in the state.

    ReplyDelete
  7. WORLD KUDOS FOR MALAYSIA IN KEEPING SABAH COAL FREE

    Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the World Bank, Professor Daniel M. Kammen said by cancelling a proposed coal plant in favour of sustainable energy options, Malaysia has opted to invest in a healthy economy and environment for the state of Sabah.

    ReplyDelete
  8. WORLD KUDOS FOR MALAYSIA IN KEEPING SABAH COAL FREE

    This is a turning point that should bring deserved praise and partnerships to Malaysia at the upcoming climate conference in Durban, South Africa.

    ReplyDelete
  9. WORLD KUDOS FOR MALAYSIA IN KEEPING SABAH COAL FREE

    I am truly thrilled by the efforts of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and for their leadership in directing the course of the nation and state towards a diverse mixture of energy resources.

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  10. WORLD KUDOS FOR MALAYSIA IN KEEPING SABAH COAL FREE

    Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) had commissioned Kammen to prepare an energy options report for Sabah, in his capacity as Professor of Energy at the University of California in Berkele

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  11. The coal industry as a whole has been struggling amid continued soft demand that has driven down prices as many utilities companies worldwide turn to cheaper natural gas for their power-producing needs.

    Baguslah, bekalan mencukupi dan kos juga rendah.

    ReplyDelete
  12. In fact FMT recently learnt that various parties within Musa’s administration are 're-looking' at coal as a power generation option to solve the shortage of energy supply in Sabah.

    Hoping the people can enjoy enough utilities.

    ReplyDelete
  13. in Tawau, is expected to increase the energy supply to 96MW by 2014 to meet the demand of 80MW in the east coast.

    Satu perkembangan yang baik, semoga bekalan untuk kawasan perkampungan juga diperbaiki lagi.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kerajaan Sabah membatalkan cadangan membina loji arang batu yang mampu menjana 300 Megawatt (MW) tenaga elektrik bernilai kira-kira RM1.3 bilion oleh Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) di Felda Sahabat dekat Lahad Datu yang tertangguh sejak dulu

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  15. Sebaliknya, kerajaan negeri akan membenarkan TNB menggunakan gas atau gas cecair asli (LNG) sebagai sumber tenaga alternatif bagi meningkatkan keperluan tenaga negeri ini.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Perdana Menteri dan Kerajaan Persekutuan begitu prihatin terhadap keadaan di Sabah. Kerajaan negeri menerima banyak bantahan, terutama daripada pertubuhan bukan kerajaan berhubung projek itu.

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  17. Najib juga meminta TNB, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) dan Petronas membincangkan kaedah terbaik untuk menjamin kelangsungan pembekalan tenaga elektrik di negeri ini.

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  18. Perdana Menteri memahami bahawa sementara kita perlu meningkatkan keupayaan bekalan tenaga di negeri ini, ia tidak boleh dilakukan dengan mengabaikan kesejahteraan rakyat dan kelestarian alam sekitar

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. TNB kemudian mencadangkan satu kawasan di Sandakan, tetapi sekali lagi ditolak kerajaan negeri.

    Najib kemudian mengumumkan projek itu akan dibina di Felda Sahabat, pada akhir 2009 bagi membantu menyediakan keperluan bekalan tenaga negeri, sekali gus menjamin pertumbuhan ekonomi di kawasan berkenaan

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  21. Bagaimanapun, Jabatan Alam Sekitar menolak laporan kajian alam sekitar (EIA) berhubung cadangan projek itu yang disediakan TNB berikutan ada beberapa aspek tidak jelas.

    ReplyDelete