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I REFER to "WWF Opposes Coal Plant Wherever Sited In Sabah" (DE 17.6.09).

I respect their stand against coal because they are the self-appointed global protector of nature and wildlife. I would even support them to oppose coal plant anywhere on earth.

    "However, I am shocked that they suggested building more power grid lines and getting power supply from the Bakun Dam. Their director Dr Rahimatsah, a PhD holder, should know that building more power grid will involve cutting all the tall trees along a corridor of two chains (40.2m) width for the high tension wires to pass through.

    What more if we build this grid which is actually a transmission line to connect Sabah with the Bakun Dam in Sarawak. Will the forestry departments of both Sabah and Sarawak allow some of their forest to be cut through just like what happened when the East West Grid was constructed. There was a hullabaloo when the line passed through the edge of Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve.

    I would have thought that WWF was against the construction of Bakun because a large area of trees had to be cut and flooded to form the storage reservoir and both nature and wild life had to be destroyed in the process. I am shocked on hearing this coming from WWF the nature protector……….

    His ohter comment, "if they can build submarine cables to connect power to Semenanjung, then why can’t they channel electricity to Sabah?" is equally amazing. It is 100 times easier and cheaper to lay cables on the sea bed, just lower them from a big container ship. There is no wayleave applications as no one has land title to the sea bed, and no trees to cut, no bulldozers needed to create access roads and no towers need to be built.

    There are just cables on the sea bed and the chances of any sharks, dolphins, whales and any other sea creatures of being eletrocuted is next to zero. Also, cable thieves will have to be expert deep sea divers to steal the cables!

    As for the terrestrial high tension grid lines, I understand that many land owners are still fuming over what they wrongly called "hydro" lines passing over their land restricting the land use and disputes on the amount of compensation will probably go on for decades.

    With the explanation above, this good PhD holder now reminds me of another university don who asked, "What is the relevance of IPP to the rise in fuel prices" during the famed Anwar-Shabbery public debate.

    My advice to Dr WWF is that he should campaign to everyone to use less electricity. Less human reliance on electricity means no need for more power stations and less carbon footprints. That’s what the One Earth Hour thing was all about. The wristband I got that night showed the whole thing was sponsored by WWF. So please walk the talk.

    Moving on, I have again received more forwarded emails from the same bunch of anti-coal activists, this time with more virulent rubbish in their content. The cybernames included Greenman aka Muthu, BD Golimbi and Calvinlo.

    A few selected accusations from these cyber-campaigners are answered here for our entertainment.

• Golimbi – "how come pipeline can be constructed all the way from Kimanis to Bintulu but not cables". The reason, you never studied your Borneo geography. Kimanis to Bintulu is mostly along the coastline. Bintulu to Sandakan, show us how to lay a pipeline across the Crocker Range and maybe the foot of Mt Kinabalu too?
•     Greenman – "I again call upon the Cabinet to study the possibility of taking back SESB and putting it under a corporatised management via Yayasan Sabah or Warisan Harta." I call upon Greenman to study Sabah’s recent history instead. Wasn’t it the Sabah State govt that was incompetent in running SEB that they begged the Federal Govt to take over after which it became to be know as LLS? What recorded success has
  Yayasan Sabah and Warisan Harta done so far to show that they can run the power company better? As for the Yayasan, if not for Kayu Balak, it probably won’t exist.
• Greenman’s quotation, "rather pity those who have eyes but refuse to see; who have ears but refuse to listen and have the gift of speech from God but choose to remain silent." This applies equally well to the anti-coal group, and for the same reason that I am writing in DE forum. I do not choose to remain silent when lies and rubbish are spread everywhere.
• Ah On-Malaysiakini "the bullying monopoly of TNB/SESB in the first place."

    This guy must have been lost in space and time. Both TNB and SESB lost their monopoly since IPP (Independent Power Producers) were introduced. In fact, the downtime from the IPP stations under maintenance contributed to the on-going load shedding. So much for your business competition theories.

•     Greenman again – "Mafia-might of TNB/SESB." TNB and SESB are fully controlled by the Government because all their Board of Directors, Managing Directors and GMs are appointed by the Government. Both these companies do not have independent policies but follow closely the policies of the Government.

    So calling SESB as a mafia is the same as calling the Barisan Nasional as mafias. The Home Minister should consider sedition charge against this wannabe hero.

    Regarding the present power outages problem due to load shedding, I believe SESB is only responsible for contributing 10pc only on the reasons. As I said before, SESB officials only obey orders from the Government. The rest of the reasons come from all the leaders of all political parties, including opposition and NGOs.

    Shortages of power is due to delayed projects to produce more power sources.

    Delays by State leaders to make a decision, provide wayleaves for transmission lines of station sites. Delays because opposition and lobbying NGOs gave the unfounded reasons and arguements.

    If there is failure by the Government in providing enough electricity to the people, the opposition is equally guilty because all of them were once in Government in Sabah such as the SAPP who once had a Chief Minister.

    What was his contribution to the power supply of Sabah? Did he provide wayleaves to built new transmission lines to Bakun?

    All the anti-coal group voted for the Government so they are equally responsible.

    I challenge the anti-coal group to come up with their own power station proposal.

    I am told that most of their spokesmen are owners of large oil palm plantations which are also the source of atmospheric pollution but now pass themselves as environmentalists. Such hypocrisy!

    Please build "green" power stations using your fruit bunches and even use the oil from the palm as diesel to burn and produce electricity. Leo Moggie clearly said that the government is open to other options.

    It is so easy to complaint, talk and point fingers.

    Covering all your roof with solar cells or creating another source of power is another thing.

Green Power Engineer

Extracted from Daily Express July 5th, 2009 .

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