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Daily Express 24th April 2009

KOTA KINABALU: Sipitang Assemblyman Haji Ahmad Bujang Strongly objected to the commissioning of a coal-fired power plant in the district as it can be hazardous to human health and the environment.

     He said the emission of the smoke from the plant would create environment impact not only in Sipitang but also in its surrounding areas.

     According to him, the impact would be disastrous as the plant could produce millions of tonnes of CO2 emission and pose negative effect on the fertility of agriculture in the district.

     Ahmad was commenting on the setting up of a 40MW Coal-Fired Power Plant at Sabah Forest Industry (SFI), which was approved by the Department of Environment (DOE) without consulting first the state Government and other related non-government organisations (NGOs).

     He pointed out that there was no necessity for the coal-fired power plant and they should strive to look for other alternatives that would be more environmentally friendly and cost effective such as a hydropower plant similar to that in Pangi, Tenom.

     He concurred with the statement made by State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, that the DOE should not have given permission to SFI commission the coal-fired power plant without first obtaining views as well as approval from the State Government.

     He reiterated that a coal-fired power plant was a sensitive issue and the DOE should also be more sensitive, especially when its impact could cause deterioration to the environment in Sipitang.

     "I would like to appeal to the authority concerned to reconsider the feeling and grouses of the people of Sipitang and to decide the best for the environment and people," Ahmad said.

     He also appealed to the State Government to intervene and seek clarification over the setting up of coal-fired power plant at SFI.

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East Coast load shedding done on purpose: Jimmy

Published on: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

SRI Tanjung Assemblyman Jimmy Wong claimed frequent power cuts due to load shedding in the East Coast were deliberate and meant "to punish the people there for objecting to the coal-fired power plant".

"I want to talk about the frequent electricity disruptions perhaps not only in Tawau but throughout the East Coast. I want to ask the Infrastructure Development Minister why this only happens in our place," he said.

"I was informed that the power shedding is done purposely to teach the people from Sandakan up to Tawau for objecting to the coal-fired power plant," he claimed.

"Is this true? If not why is the power supply in KK not like that?," he asked.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=64393

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Ever wonder why are we, Sandakan citizen fighting so hard against the Coal Fired Power Plant? Take some time to read the Powerpoint slides/presentation to understand further.

Also, the Coal Fired Power Plant can be replaced with other alternatives eg: Solar and Wind Energy instead of coal that can destroy the nature of Sandakan!

Click MORE to continue reading

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Coal-fired plant: Sabah gov’t listens to cries of protest

Tony Thien | Feb 19, 09 4:33pm

Barisan Nasional ex-component party, the Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), today welcomed assurances by the state government that the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Seguntor, Sandakan, has not commenced.

Sapp also reiterated its call to the state government to consider wider utilisation of natural gas for power generation in the state.

The party’s secretary-general, Richard Yong, said in a statement to Malaysiakini today that public protests have obviously caught the attention of state government leaders.

"We are pleased that the state government has bowed to public pressure on coal-fired power generation. We are also pleased that there is no commitment by Sabah to allow TNB to build the plant in Seguntor.

"We stand by our belief that if a coal-fired power plant was originally not good for Lahad Datu, it is obviously also not good for the people of Sandakan, or anywhere in Sabah," Yong said in response to Deputy Chief Minister Raymond Tan who yesterday said the state government has not committed itself to allowing Tenaga Nasional Berhad to proceed with the power plant.

Groups that opposed the power plant gathered at the Seguntor site last Friday claiming that earth works had begun on the site, and accused the state government of concealing the truth. Sapp president and former chief minister Yong Teck Lee was among the protestors.

Speaking to the media after the state cabinet meeting yesterday, Tan said it was wrong to accuse the state government of approving the construction of the plant as it had not made any commitment to TNB.

‘PM must live up to his promise’

Meanwhile, Yong today reiterated his call for the state government to consider cleaner alternatives in power-generation such as natural gas, and to seriously consider its decision to allow the piping of natural gas from Sabah to Bintulu in Sarawak.

"The prime minister promised the Sabah people that the gas pipeline project was cancelled. But we understand that it is going ahead as planned, except now Petronas is talking about a petrochemical complex at Kimanis and the construction of a gas-fired power plant.

"We are asking the prime minister to own up to his promises to stop the pipeline construction. At the same time, why can’t we consider building a gas-powered generation plant in Seguntor, instead of one using coal?"

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/98671

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Greenies query go-ahead for coal plant

Joe Fernandez | Apr 7, 09 1:31pm

Green activists in Sabah are seeing red following the public admission by the Department of Environment (DOE) on April 1 that it has approved a 40MW coal-fired plant in Sipitang.

This is for the Indian-owned SFI (Sabah Forest Industries), initially a state-owned enterprise which was subsequently privatised to the Lion Group.
“This (approval) has clearly been done without any public discussion with stakeholders,” fumed Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) president Wong Tack.
He disputed the DOE claim that there was NGO participation by way of the Environmental Action Committee (EAC), saying: “We have been told by the EAC secretariat that it was not involved in the EIA for the plant.”
The EAC, it was pointed out, is not a NGO  but an informal forum for the state Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and environmental NGOs to resolve related issues. It began as a joint initiative of the state Environment Ministry and Sepa.
Sepa urged the DOE to come clean on the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study and Detailed EIA (DEIA) and to reveal the names of the consultants who prepared the reports, as well as how many of them are Sabahans.
It expressed fear that the EIA and the DEIA may be biased, given remarks attributed to Sabah Federal Department of Environment director-general Abdul Razak Abdul Manap in the local Chinese media.
He was quoted as saying that “the review committee set up by the DOE, the State Economic Planning Department, the federal Economic Planning Unit, the Forestry Department and the EAC had come to a decision based on scientific evidence”.
The DOE, according to the reports, “has made a decision to approve the EIA report for the construction of a coal-fired power plant and extension plan by the Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd” but the final decision will be made by the state government.
Wong also expressed shock over a related statement by Abdul Razak that the SFI has in fact been burning coal since 2007 ostensibly using “clean coal technology”.
Abdul Razak reportedly told the media: “Coal burning is no big deal since the SFI has already been doing it (since 2007). Coal is not evil.”
Wong warned, however, that “there’s no such thing as clean coal technology at the moment or in the next 20 years, by which time all the damage would have been done to the environment”.
“Sepa would like to know who authorised the import and burning of coal in Sabah? Was any EIA done and who is monitoring the air quality in the SFI area?” he asked.
“It is grossly unfair to the people of Sabah, particularly Sipitang if there has been no monitoring of the burning of coal. It is even more shocking to learn that the state government has not been consulted on such an important issue.”
Wong said DOE should reveal when the DEIA for coal burning was conducted by SFI and which department issued the licence to import and burn coal, since there are no public records of any such licences being issued.
He also questioned if proper equipment is being used, where the toxic ash is being dumped and what emissions controls have been set up.
“All these should be in the monthly monitoring reports for 2007 and 2008,” he added.

Opposition to plant
Sepa is leading opposition against SFI, now in the hands of India’s Ballarpur Industries Ltd, against embarking on any of its ambitious expansion plans “until it has fixed the chronic pollution in Brunei Bay” which is shared by Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
This follows the completion of a DEIA by Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd for SFI’s proposed pulp and paper mill expansion at the company’s complex in the Sipitang district border neighbouring Sarawak.
The Chemsain Study notes that the proposed pulp and paper mill and its associated ancillary facilities including a coal-fired power plant and onsite secure landfill are categorised as proscribed activities under the Schedule Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987, under Section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974
Sepa’s stand on the SFI coal-fired power plant has won the backing of the Sandakan Anti Coal-fired Power Plant Action Committee.
“It is well known that the by-products of coal burning are hazardous and harmful to human beings, animals and plants,” said the committee in a statement condemning the proposed SFI coal-fired power plant in Sipitang.
The committee is fighting a proposal by Tenaga Nasional Bhd and its majority-owned subsidiary Sabah Electricity Board Sdn Bhd to build a 300MW coal-fired power plant at the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Seguntor, Sandakan, not far from the world-famous Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary.

The committee instead wants a gas-fired plant to be set up in the east coast to meet the growing energy needs.
The state government is awaiting a EIA and DEIA report on the proposed Seguntor coal-fired power plant before making a decision.
State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun said the state government accepts that any DEIA on industrial matters falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
However, Sabah has a strict environmental policy to protect the tourism industry and it is only proper that the DOE should consult the state government before announcing any approval, he said.
“Under normal procedures, any such proposal should be tabled at the state cabinet meeting for approval before any final decision is announced,” said Masidi.
Sabah and Sarawak alone, according to the Mineral and Geosciences Department, has an estimated 300 million tones coal reserves worth over RM150 billion. The country’s total coal reserves have been estimated at 1.72 billion tonnes.
Still, Malaysia imports most of its coal from China, Indonesia and Australia to support, among others, local power generation, cement, iron and steel plants. By 2010, Malaysia’s annual demand for coal is estimated to reach 19 million tonnes.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/101860

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Dept misled, says Sepa
Published on: Friday, April 03, 2009
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=63956

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) expressed disappointment with the Department of Environment (DOE) for approving the EIA for Sabah Forest Industries’ 40MW coal power plant in Sipitang without the participation of the public and other stakeholders.
Sepa feels that approval was given without EIA procedures being followed, said its President Wong Tack, adding it can be viewed as biased because public views and input were not sought nor interests taken into account.
"It is also misleading because Sabah DOE Director Abdul Razak claims there was NGO participation by way of the Environmental Action Committee (EAC).
"EAC is not registered nor is it an NGO. It is merely a forum (committee) bringing together the Government by way of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and environmental NGOs to meet, discuss and resolve environmental issues.
"Sepa has been told by the EAC secretariat that EAC was not involved in the EIA." Towards this end he asked who were the consultants involved in the preparation of the EIA and how many were Sabahans.
"Were the officers representing the Government free to give their views?
What was the scientific and technological analysis used to prepare and complete the final report?," he asked..
Wong said Sepa was shocked when Abdul Razak allegedly told the Chinese press that ‘coal-burning is no big deal, and that SFI actually is already burning coal since 2007′.
"We want him to clarify when was the DEIA conducted for coal-burning in SFI, which department issued the licence to import coal and burning of coal in the State because as far as we know, no such licence was issued, and I don’t think the Energy Commission has issued licence for coal-burning in Sabah," Wong insisted.
Sepa would like to see the monthly monitoring reports for 2007 and 2008.
"The big question is whether the DEIA was done for the coal-fired plant, whether there are proper equipment, where the toxic ash is dumped, what emission control systems have been set up," Wong said.
"It was even more shocking to learn that the State Government was not consulted on such a critically important environmental issue.
"In this regard Sepa appreciates the stand of the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi ManjunÉwe appeal to him to continue monitoring the environmental situation in Sabah and stand for the interests of the people of Sabah."
Masidi had said although the State accepted that DEIA on industrial matters come under Federal jurisdiction, Sabah has a very strict environmental policy and it is only proper that DOE consult the State before any final decision since it is the people of Sabah who are going to suffer the consequences and not those in Kuala Lumpur.
Not happy that the State Government was bypassed, Masidi reminded the DOE that "under normal procedure any such proposal needs to be tabled in the State Cabinet for any decision to be made on it."
Meanwhile, the Sandakan Anti Coal-fired Power Plant Action Committee (SACPPAC) also fully supported the statement by Masidi.
It said it was well-known that the by-products of coal burning are hazardous and harmful to human beings, animals and plants.
It noted a proposal by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Sabah Electricity Board Sdn Bhd (SESB) to build a 300MW coal-fired power plant at the POIC Seguntor Sandakan.
"The proposed plant in Sandakan will be 7.5 time sbigger than the proposed plant in Sipitang," it said and reiterated that the proposed Sandakan site was environmentally-sensitive in view of the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation as well as Sepilok Rainforest Discovery.
It added that SACPPAC would continue to put pressure and is appealing for a gas-fired power plant to be set up for the east coast instead.

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P

PRESS STATEMENT

40 MW Coal-Fired Power Plant for Sabah Forest Industries

The Sandakan Anti Coal-fired Power Plant Action Committee (SACPPAC) fully supports the statement by State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister YB Datuk Masidi Manjun on his disappointment with the Federal Department of Environment (DOE) in its decision to approve a 40 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Sipitang without consulting the State Government in advance (Daily Express – 1st April 2009)
YB Datuk Masidi Manjun in commenting on reports that a proposal by Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) to open the 40 MW coal-fired power plant at its factory in Sipitang where DOE made a decision on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and conveyed its decision to the State Government.

As the State Minister in charge of Tourism, Culture and Environment, YB Datuk Masidi has every right to be upset with the pronouncement by the DOE without taking into consideration the welfare and interests of the people of Sabah.  The Minister and the State Cabinet is fully aware of the impact that can be caused by a coal-fired power plant – even one that produces only 40 MW of power supply – and as such the Sandakan Anti-coal Committee is grateful to the Sate Government for its concern in the wellbeing of Sabahans.

It is a well-known fact that the by-products of coal burning are hazardous and very harmful to humans, animals and plant life and continued exposure to these toxic materials can cause birth defects and gene mutation to our next generation. It has been proven that fly-ash and noxious gasses from coal-fired plants can cause higher asthmatic cases in infants and children; increase respiratory aliments; coronary heart disease; lung and nose cancer.

It is learnt that there is a proposal by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) to build a 300 MW coal-fired power plant at POIC, Seguntor, Sandakan.  The power plant in Sandakan will be 7.5 times bigger than the proposed plant at SFI, Sipitang. 
The site is situated in a “bay within a bay” with an abundant supply of seafood and marine life.  The livelihood of fishermen from numerous kampungs around the bay depends on their catch from the inlet. Any toxic wastes discharged into the bay or rise in seawater temperature, will adversely affect the source of revenue of these fisher-folk and their families.

Several housing estates and kampungs with a total population of over 40,000 residents and the world famous Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre and Orangutan Sanctuary is situated less than 5 kilometers from the site of the proposed coal-fired power plant.  The Sandakan Anti-coal Committee is very much concerned about the health and welfare all residents and wildlife of Sandakan.

The Chief Minister YAB Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman has rightly pointed out that Sabah’s east coast badly needs a power plant in view of shortage of power supply (Daily Express – 15th February 2009). The Chief Minister also added that the power plant is urgently needed as many industries, including the Palm Oil Industry Cluster (POIC) projects were set up in the east coast of Sabah. 

We request that a gas-fired power plant be set up for the east coast of Sabah instead of a coal-fired one.   In this respect we wish to stress that a natural gas-fired power plant will create equal job and business opportunities.  In addition a gas pipeline from Kimanis to the east coast will create even more downstream petroleum based industries and activities along the route of the pipeline.

Once again Sandakan Anti-coal Plant Committee wish to thank YB Datuk Masidi Manjun for is stand on the coal-fired power plant and hope that he would make use of his good office to turn down future requests for any coal-fired plants in Sabah.

Stephen Wong Tain Fatt, 
Tel: 019-8133168
President,
Sandakan Anti Coal-fired Power Plant Action Committee
1st April 2009.

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Masidi: It Would Be Sabahans Who Would Suffer if Environment Polluted

Any Plan to Build Coal Power Plant Should First Consult State Government

[Translated from Chinese from the Merdeka Daily News, 1 April 2009, front page.]

(Kota Kinabalu, March 31, 2009) Sabah State Tourism, Environment and Culture Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun says, the Sabah State Government has a very stringent policy on environment. Any suggestion to implement coal power plant in the State, including before the relevant authority makes any decision to evaluate the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, should notify and consult the State Government first.

He made this response when interviewed in Kota Kinabalu with regard to the confirmation made yesterday by the Director General for Sabah Federal Department of Environment, Haji Abdul Razak bin Abdul Manap, that the said Department has already made a decision on whether to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the construction of a coal power plant and extension plan by the Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd, and that the final decision shall be made by the State Government.

Masidi at the outset indicated that he was not personally aware of Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd’s plan to construct a coal power plant, because nobody has notified or reported to him. “I myself only came to know about this matter 3 days ago.”

He said, the State Government recognizes and accept in principle the work carried out by the Department of Environment and the reliability of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, but due to the fact that it concerns State policies, he was of the view that the relevant authority should consult and notify the State Government before making any final decision.

“I’ve contacted Haji Abdul Razak, he said his Department shall convey the said decision to the State Government. Under normal circumstances, they should submit the relevant suggestions in the form of a Cabinet Report Paper, to let the State Cabinet discuss further.”

He said, even though he did not know what was the ‘decision already made’ by that Department, he believes that the State Government shall further discuss and consider the matter. “Haji Abdul Razak informed Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd only about the need to renew license, so this [using coal in its operation] is not something that only happened recently.”

It has been learned that the Company has used coal in its operation since 2007, and that the proposed 40MV coal power plant will not be using coal entirely.

Masidi explained, the State Government absolutely does not intend to make it difficult for any party who intends to carry out energy plan in the State, but everybody should understand that the State has its own policies on environmental and protection issues, even the Federal authorities should understand this.

“The State Government has always been serious on environmental and protection works, the ‘60 Earth Hour’ Campaign was only launched a few days ago, we cannot make self-contradictory decisions.”

He said, even though the Company’s proposed coal power plant is not on a big scale, but the important point is that it involves the relevant State policies. “The most important thing is that we do not wish to make any decision which we would regret in future but would be too late.”

The State Government is not interfering with the work of the Federal Department of Environment, but if pollution problems occur in the future, the people who will suffer are the people of Sabah, not those living in Kuala Lumpur,” said Masidi.

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