Seeing red over Sabah’s new green venture

Questions are being raised over Sabah's decision to approve a geothermal plant in a Class One Forest Reserve.

TAWAU: Just over six months ago Sabahans were told that there was no alternative to a coal-fired power plant to resolving Sabah’s power woes. They were left with the feeling that it was either coal-fired or nothing.

Sabahans chose nothing and the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak-led federal government announced that it was shelving the coal plant project.

Then out of the blue, a local company Tawau Green Energy Sdn Bhd announced Malaysia’s first geothermal plant and said it would to be sited in a rainforest.

The RM300-million geothermal plant, they said, will be sited at Apas Kiri in Tawau’s Mount Andrassy Forest, which is a Class One Forest Reserve.

Why someone would want to site a geothermal plant in a designated forest reserve and lose carbon credits is another issue altogether.

For the record, deforestation and forest degradation is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) along with other conservation groups have been actively lobbying to ensure Sabah remains healthily green.

But, suffice to say that the geothermal plant, which will produce some 36 megawatz of energy, is much welcomed and will ease Tawau’s need.

The plant is expected to be operational in three years. Tawau needs 70 megawatz of power each day.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has not been able to fully meet this need and the area is known to suffer from power cuts.

Vested interest

A surprised Sepa, while lauding the project, expressed hope that the company will carry out the project with “serious integrity”.

Sepa was at the forefront of the fight to stop the development of the controversial coal-fired plant which, if allowed, it alleged, would destroy Sabah’s marine eco system.

Speaking to FMT, Sepa president Wong Tack said: “I must admit that it came as a surprise so quickly after the government said there was no alternative to the coal-fired plant.

“But it is good that the government is looking at geothermal plants; it means there is hope for Sabah to become a real green energy hub with other clean energy systems like biofuel, biomass and hydropower.

“But what is puzzling to me is, why did not the government bring this up earlier?

“Obviously this geothermal option did not spring up overnight.

“They (the government) were already studying geothermal power plants while pushing for the coal- fired plant.

“One can only assume that it (the frenzy to build a coal-fired plant) had to do with vested interests,” he said.

Another point of concern for Wong is the fact that the geothermal plant is to be located inside the forest reserve.

“Forests contribute carbon credits. I don’t understand why they need to build the plant inside the forest.

“When I asked the company, they said it would be in an area already gazetted as an oil palm plantation.

“That is even worse. It means that a Class One Forest Reserve now has an oil palm plantation inside.

“How is that possible?” he asked.

More info needed

Another environmentalist, Green Surf’s Tawau chairman Gary Yap was concerned about the height of the plant.

He said the geothermal plant would be situated 200 metres above sea level.

“My concern is the height. Why do you need to build the plant 200 metres above sea level and inside the forest?

“It doesn’t make sense to me… At Greensurf we need to know more about the geothermal plant. We will wait for the second dialogue,” Yap said.

Both Yap and Wong were among several environmentalists and villagers who had attended a dialogue with Tawau Green Energy in Kampung Tass on July 20.

Both conceded that there was still much they did not know about the project and are hoping that the company will be transparent and open with its plans and information.

Both also said that was “definitely the right step” towards turning Sabah into a green hub.

“Instead of building one giantic plant, it is better to decentralise power and have small green energy plants all over Sabah to cater to localised needs,” said Wong.

More geothermal plants

Meanwhile, plant director Andrew Amaladoss disclosed that the federal and state governments had approved the project last April.

“We expect the agreement between SESB and other interested parties to be signed by September or October this year,” he said.

Explaining how the geothermal plant would work, he said the plant will utilise steam from natural geysers or hot springs to drive its turbines which in turn will produce electricity for the next 16 to 25 years.

Amaladoss said although the area had the capacity to generate 67MW of energy, the company was building only one plant with a 36MW capacity.

“Thirty megawatz of power will be distributed to SESB to ease its load,” he said.

Sabah’s rugged volcanic landscape is believed to be ideal for geothermal plants.

In May, Tenaga Nasional Bhd said it had identified four sites suitable for a geothermal power plant project in Malaysia.

At the time, they said the project was at phase two whereby geophysics and sub-surface analysis has been carried out.