Postcards to the PM with a green message

Thu, 03 Jun 2010
By Michael Kaung
Source here

KOTA KINABALU: If all goes according to plan, the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya will be flooded with postcards, with an environmental message from Sabah.

Postcards to the Najib Tun Razak are the latest in a series of tactics being used by the Sabah anti-coal-fired power plant lobby to halt the construction of the controversial plant in the state.

Scores of visitors thronging the Kadazandusun Cultural Association compound during the weekend's Harvest Festival celebrations stopped by a booth set up the ground to view the postcards of a idyllic beach on the east coast of the state that may be destroyed in the name of development.

The postcards show scenes of the now pristine Dent peninsula and its tranquil waters on the east coast, which is part of the globally important Coral Triangle and where the proposed 300-megawatt plant is to be sited.

Green SURF (Sabah Re-Unite to Power the Future), a coalition of local environment groups, decided that a direct message to Najib from the people of Sabah was the best way to halt the project.

Staff of WWF-Malaysia, along with other coalition members -- Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa), Malaysia Nature Society and Partners of Community Organisations (Pacos) -- spent two days explaining the issue to visitors at the festival.

Green SURF officials said visitors asked a number of questions about the proposed plant and many signed the postcards, which are also available for download at http://www.postcards2pm.blogspot.com/.

Local entertainment celebrity Atama also dropped by the Green SURF booth and shared his views with fans on the perils of coal power, while DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang signed a petition asking the government to scrap the project.

The project called “Postcards2PM” is the brainchild of Sabah artist Yee I-Lann who wanted to do her bit for the environment now facing the threat of destruction from the impact of such a plant.

Yee took photographs of the site three years ago during a road trip and was struck by the beauty of the place.

"The Postcards2PM project was done on the spur of the moment as a way to reach out to the prime minister. I hope that if he sees the place about to be ruined, he may understand and put a stop to the coal plant.

"The prime minister is the only person who can do this," said Yee who was disappointed that the site chosen for the plant is along the most pristine coastline in Malaysia and just a hundred kilometres from the renowned Sipadan Island.

Stiff resistance

Darvel Bay, which environmentalists say will be hard hit by pollution from the plant, is the mainstay of the state's fisheries industry that is already tottering as foreign fishing fleets continue to deplete the state's marine resources.

The site near Kampung Sinakut is close to the ecologically sensitive Tabin wildlife reserve where the Borneo wild cat and leopard projects are being undertaken. Darvel Bay is said to be a rich source of food and the potential for seaweed farming is estimated at RM3 billion.

The power plant, the first in the state to run on coal, has met with stiff resistance.

Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd, which will manage the plant, has said that the east coast of Sabah would benefit from the project as it would provide reliable electricity supply to the area which, in turn, would attract investors.

The detailed EIA study of the proposed site is in progress and the final report is expected to be submitted soon.

Initially, the power plant was to be located in Silam but later the site was changed to Sandakan and finally to Lahad Datu.

Those lobbying against the plant pointed out that its lucrative business links in high places have kept it on the government's agenda.

Speculation is also rife that contracts have been signed and that even money has changed hands.

Sabahans - your doomsday is pending

And, Please CONTINUE voting for Barisan Najis, Ok?

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Trepidation as Sabah dirty coal-fired power plant D-day looms
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:35
www.freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: Amidst the scorching Sabah heat, dry rivers and raging wildfires, advocates of a greener, cleaner state face up to the burning likelihood that the government's final solution to the state's perennial electricity shortage could be the kiss of death to their efforts to preserve the environment.

The environment impact assessment (EIA) report of the proposed 300MW coal-fired power plant at Felda Tungku in Lahad Datu, is due to be out this month.

The state government, after initially dithering on approving the controversial plant, has finally succumbed to pressure from federal authorities responsible for the country's energy demands.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman rejected the coal power plant in 2008, but rapidly back-pedalled when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the controversial plant would be sited at Felda Tungku.

Electricity supply in the state comes directly under the federal government through power supplier Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), which in turn is controlled by the country's main power supplier, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

SESB and TNB have long maintained that coal is the only option as a source of power supply on the east coast.

"Coal is the most economically viable fuel option for the east coast of Sabah, against other alternatives. Abundance supply of coal from nearby Kalimantan… will provide secured supply of coal at competitive price, thus ensuring continuous operation of the plant and optimum cost of supply/tariff," SESB said on its website.

But, the people residing there are unconvinced. They remain opposed because of fears that toxic coal pollutants will affect both their health and the environment.

The fishing communities along the pristine Darvel Bay, where the coal-fired plant will discharge millions of gallons of treated heated water, are fearful for their now abundant catch.

“The people of Lahad Datu and Seguntor had rejected the coal-fired plant and now the majority of Sabahans do not want it as well,” said Melanie Chia Ket Sui, an opposition politician, during a futile bid for an emergency motion to enable the State Legislative Assembly to debate the issue.

Unsubstantiated claims

The state government said Chia's claims were unsubstantiated.

Tungku assemblyman Suhaili Said (BN) has said that as far as he knew, his constituents had no issues with the plant being located in their area.

Credence to Chia's assertion, however, is supported by the fact that the proposed power plant has been relocated twice, from Silam in Lahad Datu initially and then from Seguntor in Sandakan before being fixed at Tungku after protests by residents.

Most are aware that coal burning is one of the main causes of acid rain, which damages buildings and can be detrimental to aquatic and plant life.

Environmental groups fighting for transparency on the issue are still smarting from anger after their proposals for alternate “clean” energy sources were repeatedly slapped down by the government.

They have already written off the pending report as a whitewash.

"They (the government) have already indicated that it will go ahead no matter what we say," the president of the Sabah Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), Wong Tack, said recently.

"They have no respect for the wishes of Sabahans. They will build the plant and it will be a disaster for the east coast.

"The government promised a second review of the terms and conditions of the EIA, but where is it? It is still the same.

"Last month, the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) people met (TNB) chairman (Tan Sri) Leo Moggie and he admitted to them that it (the proposed plant) will destroy the environment, but they would nevertheless go ahead," he said in a recent interview.

"He (Moggie) admitted that the proposed site is in an eco-sensitive area that could possibly affect the environment stretching from Darvel Bay to the pristine Danum Valley.

"They simply do not want to look at any other energy sources. They want coal and they will get it," said Wong.

He warned that Sepa and other environmental groups would not be standing by idly.

"Darvel Bay is a fixed deposit for Sabahans… for our children. We are not going to allow anyone to jeopardise the life of our future generations…"

Many unanswered questions


The anti-coal lobby has few prospects of success other than to threaten to help evict the government at the next election if it goes ahead with the plan.

"We have misgivings. What Sabahans must ask is, why? Why not use the plentiful natural gas we are blessed with or buy from Sarawak? They are willing to sell to us the surplus they have from Bakun. Brunei has grabbed their offer. Why not us?

"It is clean and cheaper in the long term. It also will not damage our environment. All we would have to do is extend the transmission lines to Lawas and the Sarawak grid, said Tawau's Sri Tanjung assemblyman Jimmy Wong.

"Why are they (the government) making excuses and pushing for the coal plant which will take years to build?

"They should consider this for the sake of keeping Sabah green, instead of rushing for coal.

"Every year, the government is getting about RM300 million of the RM1 billion from sales tax of palm oil from the east coast. About 30% comes from the Tawau area. You could say more than RM1 billion has been given by Tawau oil palm planters over the years.

"Yet while we have given the most we are suffering the most… and now they are forcing us to breathe polluted air when they put up this coal plant," he added.

A majority of Tawau's 500,000 population (excluding thousands of illegal immigrants) are against the plant, but are resigned to it after enduring decades of frequent power cuts akin to a third world nation.

Moggie argued that the proposed plant is a prudent choice and a way to diversify electricity generation sources.

"Hydropower is a potential (energy source). But if you develop hydropower, it also raises questions about the environment and inundation of areas. Coal supply compared to oil is more dependable, so in future coal will play an important part in our power generation diversification," Moggie said in an interview in 2006.

He said neither gas nor hydropower is available on the east coast of Sabah and biomass is a marginal way of obtaining power supply.

Therefore, he said, "coal is the most practical fuel source and that’s why we decided on it... it is not just us who is using coal but the world also is using it”.

SESB looked at a number of potential sites and identified a portion of state-owned Yayasan Sabah land where the abandoned Pacific Hardwood complex stood sandwiched by Darvel Bay and Silam Hill as the most logical (choice) in terms of its centralised position for a power plant.

The worry is that the state, while still considered one of the most environmentally friendly places in the world, is leaning towards unfriendly environmental policies that will lead to irreversible long-term damage to its unique eco-system.

For the state's environmentalists, doomsday is pending.

- FMT Staff

Coal is green - Truely Malaysia Boleh

January 16, 2010
Star
Minister: Coal is green?
By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui was surprised to hear of the Sarawak government’s decision to classify the exploitation of coal as a renewable energy project.

“It is news to me,” Chin told reporters when asked about criticism against the state government’s move to classify the mining of 1.156bil tonnes of coal reserves as renewable energy .

“I want to investigate further. I read about it but I do not know where such a classification came from,” added Chin, who had earlier witnessed the signing of a power purchase agreement between Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and SPR Energy Sdn Bhd.

Chin said the federal government did not consider coal a renewable energy and “believed that everyone knows that”.

On the proposed coal-fired power plant in Tungku in Sabah’s east coast Lahad Datu district, Chin said a detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report would be available in March.

He said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman had informed him that the state was waiting for the EIA report before deciding whether to allow the 300MW plant, which has drawn strong protests from environmentalists.

However, Chin said there was a need for the 300MW plant in the east coast of Sabah, which was currently relying on old diesel generator sets providing about 200MW power.

“We don’t have reliable supply. We need to have the 300MW plant ready to meet the electricity demands in the east coast,” he added.

Chin said his ministry was also cooperating with the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry to harness empty fruit bunches at oil palm estates and develop green energy.

He said they were encouraging large oil palm plantations to generate renewable energy and sell it to SESB to overcome the power shortage.

Scrap Sandakan coal power plant plan

Sep 30, 08
Malaysiakini

Following a state-sponsored study tour to coal-fired power plants (CPP) in Kuching, Johor Baru, Perak and Selangor, a Sabah-based Anti-CPP action committee has returned even more fired-up in its objections against the proposed CPP project in Sandakan.

The four-day trip, in which 43 representatives from the Anti-CPP action committee and several other business, government and political bodies took part, was reportedly supported by the Sabah government in order to provide a clearer picture of the pros and cons of CPPs.

Action committee chairperson Stephen Wong, however, said the Sep 8-12 junket had only bolstered their resolve to reject the proposed 300MW CPP for Sandakan.

“After our visit to various coal power plants namely Sejingkat in Kuching Sarawak, Tanjung Bin in Johor Baru, Manjung in Perak, and Kapar in Selangor, we have doubts on the justification and reasoning to build a coal power plant in Sandakan,” he said in a statement today.

The reasons

Wong, who is also secretary-general of the Sandakan Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), said the reasons the CPP project - which had originally been planned for Lahad Datu but was scrapped for public health and welfare and environmental reasons - should be rejected include:

- Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels and coal dust will litter Sandakan and settle far and wide in the town and residential areas surrounding it;

- Large amount of heat will be released into the atmosphere when coal is burnt, therefore spelling the possibility of climate change for Sandakan in the form of hotter days in dry seasons and more rain in the wet seasons. This will have tremendous effect on our crop and forest habitats;

- Non-combustible substances produced when burning coal such as fly ash and bottom ash contain arsenic, will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing just 50 parts of such ash per billion parts of water. The waste also contains lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium;

- When burnt, the resulting haze from the burnt coal’s production of fly ash can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks and premature death;

- Bituminous coal, in particular, contains mercury and, when burnt will be released into the atmosphere and contaminate fish and plants. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake is said to render the fish therein unsafe to eat;

- The burning of coal produces carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary cause of global warming and climate change. The proposed site is slated to produce 2,700,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of cutting down 121 million trees;

- Incomplete burning of coal will produce 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease;

- The burning of coal will also release 10,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) per year, which causes acid rain and damages forests, lakes and buildings. Small airborne SO2 particles can penetrate into lungs;

- Even if SO2 is removed using the 'seawater desulfurization system', it will most probably be dumped into the sea. Both the marine life and fishermen of Sandakan Bay cannot afford to have toxic waste being poured into their waters;

- About 10,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide (Nox) a year will also be produced by the burning of coal, which is the equivalent of that emitted by half-a-million late-model cars. NOx causes smog, leads to the incidence of lung inflamation, the burning of lung tissue and makes people more susceptible to respiratory illness;

- The large volumes of seawater used as coolant will be released into the shore environments, thereby increasing their temperatures;

- The injection of chlorine and dispersants into the intake seawater to prevent the growth of fouling organisms on the surface of the cooling systems will result in chlorination by-products which might potentially inhibit microbes that play ecologically important roles in coastal ecosystems.

State gov't's call

Reminding Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman that he had on April 2 said the Lahad Datu CPP proposal was scrapped so as not to "risk the welfare and health of the communities in the area as well as any adverse impact on the environment," Wong said it is for these same reasons that the proposed CPP for Sandakan be junked.

"Sandakan does not need the coal power plant as other means of electricity supply are available, such as gas, hydro, bio-mass, wind and solar (power).

"The present and future electricity grid system can be available to deliver electricity to Sandakan. Please keep Sandakan free from environmental pollution by adopting a green energy (policy)," he said.

The Sabah Department of Environment (DOE) was earlier reported to have said it would be the state government that would decide on the fate of the Sandakan CPP project.

Even if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval was obtained, the project may not be implemented, said DOE's principal assistant director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab earlier this month.

Sabah rethinks coal power plant

Star Online
Tuesday April 1, 2008
By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is having second thoughts over a RM1.3bil controversial coal fired power plant in Silam in the state's east coast.

Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said Tuesday that the Cabinet will discuss the proposed 300-megawatt coal plant at its meeting here Wednesday.

He was referring the power plant project to the Cabinet in the wake of opposition from environmentalists and other concerned groups who fear that the pristine nature of the renowned Danum Valley and Darvel Bay would be polluted by it.

"Hopefully we will come to a decision so as to advise the parties concerned whether to go ahead with it. This is important given all the complaints we have received," he said Tuesday.

Earlier Musa witnessed the signing of a credit arrangement scheme between state-owned Sabah Development Bank Bhd, CIMB Investment Bank Bhd and AmInvestment Bank Bhd totalling more than RM1bil.

The power plant proposed to be sited at the abandoned 128.7ha seafront Pacific Hardwood integrated timber complex is a joint venture between Tenaga Nasional and Yayasan Sabah, which have formed Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd.

On Monday, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd with Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd issued a notice seeking public comment on the project's detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.

In asking for the written comments on the report, the Department of Environment stated that the public could review the EIA report of Ecotone Environmental Management Sdn Bhd from March 31 until April 30 and forward opinions to the department before May 15.

Villagers and the business community in the Lahad Datu district as well as the Sabah Environment Action Committee (EAC) have been opposing the project since it came to their knowledge in 2006.

The EAC's Lahad Datu chairman Wong Tack said the coal plant project was an unnecessary risk. He added that there had been worldwide opposition to coal plants due to various concerns over emissions such as sulphur dioxide causing acid rain, soot particles causing poor visibility and respiratory problems and carbon dioxide contributing to global warming.

Wong said despite arguments that modern coal-fuelled power plants were cleaner than those a generation ago, the group felt there was however no environmental agency capable of enforcing mitigating measures.

He said alternative sources of power generation should be considered due to Sabah's abundance of natural gas, rivers, wind and oil palm waste.

Wong said power from the mammoth Bakun dam in Sarawak could also be tapped for enterprises within Lahad Datu's palm oil industrial cluster (POIC).