Published on: Sunday, November 02, 2008 |
Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Environment Protection Association (Sepa) urged Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd Saturday to confirm or deny whether it is going ahead with the proposed 300MW coal-fired power plant in Sandakan.
"We have information that SESB has booked and enblocked 500 acres at the POIC site in Seguntor Bay just 6km from the Sepilok Orang-utan Centre," Sepa President Wong Tack told a press conference.
"We want to know why SESB is so secretive about it after they had promised a transparent EIA process because they had steadfastly denied a suitable site had been identified," Wong said.
" If they have identified the site, they should announce it publicly. The people have to know. You want us to participate in the Environment Impact Assessment process, yet you are not telling where you propose to locate the project but we have information that planning of the site is going on at the POIC Sandakan," Wong Tack said.
"Public participation is the most important component in any terms of reference and EIA process," Wong Tack reminded SESB.
"No project should be forcibly imposed on the community. It must have pubic acceptance especially on a large private profit making independent power plant like this which involves large-scale discharge of chemically treated water wastes and gaseous emissions.
"The tourism trade people are worried because POIC Sandakan is so near a world renowned tourism destination just 6km away. We have fishing villages half a kilometre across the Seguntor river mouth and housing estates just 3 to 4km away inland.
"We object to the proposed coal-fired plant in Sandakan because it is totally incompatible with the Sabah Development Corridor which calls for sustainable development."
Wong said the fears are that the IPP coming from outside would dispose of toxic pollutants such as chlorine oxide into a pristine marine environment from the plant's water cooling system," Wong said, adding that 50,000 people and 30 NGOs had signed up to oppose the project.
Wong said Sepa appreciated Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman's statement on the health risks and eco reasons for scrapping the Silam site on April 2 this year urging SESB and TNB to look for alternative sources of energy.
"Sandakan's environment is probably more sensitive than Silam," he said.
"Seguntor Bay is a bay within Sandakan Bay and no one should put a coal-fired power plant on a bay," Wong said.
"The EIA study done earlier in connection with the POIC project found rich marine life including whales, dolphins, turtles and sea cows but this is not open sea. When you discharge millions of litres of chlorine-laced cooling water, toxic wastes are likely to accumulate and damage the water quality," noted Gary Yap , head of Sepa Tawau.
"In addition, it is located right next to the biggest Ramsar site in Malaysia - the lower Kinabatangan Ramsar site. We urge the proponents to scrap the project immediately.
Wong also urged the SESB to immediately look into alternative energy sources "without delay."
He cited SESB's own study going back to 1984 culminating in a 1994 Master Plan which found Sabah actually had a potential for 1900MW of hydro power alone, he told reporters.
"The public meeting called by Sabah Environment Protection Department to discuss the terms of reference on the proposed 200MW Ulu Padas hydro project early this week was among many. But why did TNB and SESB keep telling the people of Sabah that there was no other option but coal?" Wong Tack said.
"We urge SESB to build the Ulu Padas hydro project as well as the proposed 300MW Kimanis gas power plant quick so that the two can be hooked up to generate more than 500MW of power to expedite the building of the Keningau-Tawau transmission loop to deliver power direct to the East Coast," Wong said.
"Aside from Ulu Padas, Liwagu is capable of another 200MW of hydro power. We also know Ulu Segama also has a good site identified for a major hydro dam because the forests have been logged so heavily that flooding the area won't do damage any more, in addition to numerous mini hydro sites," Wong asserted.
" But natural gas is one of our best alternatives. We know the 60MW Labuan gas power plant can easily be doubled while the 100MW gas plant at KKIP is under extension for another 180MW," Wong Tack said.
A 13MW biomass power plant is being built in Beluran while another 10MW one is being planned for Lahad Datu, Wong said.
"Based on wind chart studies done by Nasa on the Philippines which somehow included northern Sabah because of proximity, they found Kudat can provide substantial wind power, probably in the region of 1000MW because of consistent wind flow.
"These facts are known to wind power engineers. So why not the SESB invest in a pilot project here and research to try to make it work for Sabah instead of telling us they have exhausted all options," Wong said.
Meanwhile, Sepa founder Henry Chok urged the State to stick to the original "no' decision on coal-fired power plants.
"We have been fighting a lot of environmental issues.
Every time the Government will come out to say 'we scrap it', then suddenly it come up again," he charged.
"I think this has to stop . Once you have certain objections from the public, it should stop," Chok said.
