Large-scale hydropower in Sarawak ‘unsustainable and unnecessary’

 

Some studies suggest that building mega dams, such as the Bakun dam in Sarawak, does not make economic sense in the tropics. (Bernama pic)

MIRI: Large-scale hydropower cannot be considered a source of renewable energy for Sarawak because of its destructive impact on the environment and on indigenous communities, says Sarawak-based civil society group SAVE Rivers.

It said this in response to statements by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) vice-president Ting Ching Zung during a panel discussion at the Go ESG ASEAN 2022 Conference on Nov 24.

“We are worried to hear that SEB is promoting mega dams again,” says James Nyurang of Tanjung Tepalit, Baram, one of the communities that would have been inundated by the now-shelved Baram dam.

“We were so happy that SEB finally focused on community needs with their solar project that really improved the quality of life in our villages.

“This is the development we want. Dams, however, are not development but destruction,” Nyurang added.

SAVE Rivers’ Peter Kallang said if Sarawak Energy wants to test its reaction with its statement, “the people of Baram are ready to fight anytime if SEB wants to revive its outdated dam plans”.

SAVE Rivers was established in 2011 to organise communities in Baram against the proposed Baram dam.

Ting had suggested that large-scale hydropower should be recognised as the fundamental supplier of renewable energy (RE) as it is most suitable, reliable and affordable for developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia.

As Malaysia’s largest RE provider, SEB continues to create space for growth towards realising its aspiration to be a RE powerhouse in Southeast Asia, he said.

He, nonetheless, acknowledged there are still some voices talking and questioning whether large-scale hydro is a source of green RE.

Hr said Sarawak Energy’s total installed capacity of large hydro plants stands at 3,452 megawatts (MW) to date

In response, SAVE Rivers said in a statement the global impacts of mega dams are well documented.

It pointed out a 2016 study cited in the American Institute of Biological Sciences’ BioScience journal that found hydroelectric dams emit a billion tons of greenhouse gasses a year – about 1.3% of human-caused global emissions.

Behind every great dam is a great reservoir and at the bottom of a tropical dam reservoir, methane – a potent greenhouse gas – is produced. This contributes as much to global heating as the aviation industry, it said.

A study has also shown that building mega dams does not make economic sense in the tropics.

As for the proposed Baram hydropower dam shelved by the late Sarawak chief minister Adenan Satem in 2015, there was a study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley that found no evidence of the dam’s economic benefit.

Instead, it found that Sarawak’s scheduled dams then would be a net drag on the economy and generate energy far in excess of projected needs.

With the Bakun and Murum dams running well below capacity, Sarawak is already a literal powerhouse with ample capacity for energy generation from existing dams, it said.

The controversial Bakun dam, which cost over RM7.4 billion, is the biggest dam in Southeast Asia. Completed in 2010, it was partly commissioned the following year, before being fully commissioned in 2014 with a combined generating capacity of 2,400MW.

The original idea was to have 30% of the generated capacity consumed in East Malaysia and the rest transmitted to Peninsular Malaysia. However, this lofty aspiration never materialised.

Sarawak also has the 944MW Murum dam and the 100MW Batang Ai dam apart from the Bakun dam.

Adenan stated in a TV interview in 2016 that the reason for scrapping the Baram dam was because there was no need to have another big dam. “We can have mini dams and so on, but not big dams especially when we don’t supply (power) to West Malaysia anymore,” he said.

Alexander Lehan, a member of the displaced communities in the Bakun dam area, laments that until today they are living in the irreversible impact the project has had on their culture and livelihood. - FMT