Yang Berhormat Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri
Jabatan Perdana Menteri
Aras 3, Blok Timur,
Kompleks Jabatan Perdana Menteri
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62502 PUTRAJAYA
Date : 21st October 2008
Tan Sri Bernard,
We, the Sandakan Anti Coal Power Plant Action Committee, comprises of 28 NGOs and together with all the rest of the environmentalists, agree with your call to stop the piping of our natural gas resources from Kimanis, Sabah to Bintulu, Sarawak which is 500km away. We strongly support your good office and noble mission to make our natural gas resources remain in the possession of Sabah, to be fully utilized and enjoyed by our Sabah people.
We propose a Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Pipelines can be build to bring the natural gas from Kimanis to Sandakan via Tawau, and Lahad Datu.
The US relies on natural gas for nearly one-quarter of its energy needs, in home, businesses, industries and electric power generators. The gas–only-fire power generation plant account for nearly 19% of the fuel used for all generation nationwide. Natural gas moves through a nationwide (US) of 280,000 mile of transmission pipelines. These pipelines move natural gas from regions where it is produced, such as Gulf of Mexico, to market areas. The distribution pipeline in US are constructed, enough to go round trip between New York and Los Angeles more than 50 times, in order to bring natural gas to consumers. For our case we may need only about 1000km of pipeline.
Beside power generation for Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu, natural gas can be use as follows:
1. INDUSTRIAL USER
Natural Gas is commonly use in power generation and home. Many countries that did not have these resources rely on import of natural gas, in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), include Japan, Taiwan and Singapore.
Because natural gas is clean burning, it is being considered as an alternative fuel for motor vehicles. Compressed natural gas (CNG) cars and trucks are already on the road in many
areas. Companies using industrial processes that require high temperatures are also turning to natural gas instead of other fuels in order to reduce the air pollution emitted by their plants.
This includes companies involved in manufacturing steel, glass, ceramics, cement, paper, chemicals, aluminum, retreated tires and processed foods.
In Sandakan, the palm oil refinery can convert diesel burning boiler into gas fired. POIC Sandakan Manufacturer, can promote the use of natural gas to power their plant and manufacturing purposes, cheaper, cleaner and more convenience to use.
2. AMMONIA /UREA PLANT
Sandakan import, thousands of tons of Urea and Ammonia based fertilizer for the palm oil plantation and glue manufacturing. Why not utilize our natural gas to produce these product for our plantation and manufacturing industries, saving million in foreign currency and giving job to our people.
3. HOME
Even though our population in the east coast is relatively small, it does not mean that we cannot benefit from the utilization of the natural gas. Natural gas can be compressed into gas tank and can be widely distributed in these regions, saving million in transportation by road to bring the compressed natural gas from Labuan or Kota Kinabalu. Most the electrical item for heating purpose can be converted to natural gas, such as heated, oven and others.
With the Transmission and Distribution Pipeline, east coast industrialization can be less dependable on electricity and natural gas being cheaper can help make our products more competitive. Therefore the question of power shortage is a thing of the past. We believe the construction of a Transmission and Distribution Pipeline is viable and a study and working paper should be done.
We wish to stress again to Tan Seri the serious hazards coal can cause to the human health and the environment as a whole. Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels that emits double the amount of carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels. In 300 Mega-watt coal power plant, two tons of carbon dioxide will be emitted more than the normal emission of carbon dioxide by other fuels of only 1 ton. This has added to the problems of global warming and acid rain. Sandakan has been proclaimed and certified to everyone as a “Nature City” and we intend to keep it this way. If coal is implemented, our preserved evergreen rainforest and the heritage of Orang Utans with world recognition will no longer exist. Not to mention Sandakan houses the important industry of fishery which is also the main food source and commercial driven industry in Sandakan and the emission of coal will definitely cripple this industry in the long run.
There are views which said coal power plants are implemented in other places and serious detrimental effects are not seen yet. Surely this cannot be a reason for the implementation of coal power plant. Serious effects are not seen yet but it is a guaranteed consequence. The rise of asthma attacks and respiratory problems are one of the many consequences of the emission of coal. Mercury, an element found in the emission of coal, is a developmental toxin, primarily affecting foetus development that can cause brain damage, mental retardation, blindness, and many other problems. We do not want or specifically, we do not want to create such problems to rise in the future particularly when our future generation will be affected. Till then, it will be too late to regret.
We, the committee representing the majority of the voices of Sandakan people, pledge to Tan Sri’s good office, to build a natural gas power plant in East Coast instead of a coal power plant since natural gas is considered to be a fossil fuel which is more energy-efficient, has lower carbon dioxide emissions of energy per unit and because it is suitable for use in high efficiency combined cycle power stations.
As such, we join hands with Tan Sri to work towards creating a better place for our people and our future generation to live in. We fully support and if necessary, lend our hands, to Tan Sri in making Sabah, the provider of natural gas, to be able to enjoy the most benefits out of it.
Stephen Wong Tien Fatt
Chairman
ON and behalf of ANTI Coal Plant Action Committee
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