Save Sandakan

“Massive Natural Heritage Destruction at Seguntor – Site for the Sandakan Coal – Fired Power Plant”

Seguntor , coal fired power plant ???

Posted by Save Sandakan On April - 17 - 2009

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.

richard yong sapp sec gen 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.

seguntor coal fired power plant 170209 "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.

raymond tan 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

Popularity: 1% [?]