What about natural gas plant move?

Kota Kinabalu: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sabah Chairman cum Sandakan MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt likened the proposed construction of a lignite-based power plant in Tawau to going back to the old days and affecting people's health. Wong said while the world is reducing coal usage for power generation, advocating clean energy, reducing carbon emissions and paying attention to climate change, the Government has not changed, or as before, opted to use lignite for power generation.

"Although contractors and the government keep saying that the coal is clean, the greenhouse gases and suspended particles produced by lignite eventually will generate more compare to natural gas," he said.

"Everyone is aware that coal power generation will endanger the health of the citizens and destroy the earth's ecosystem."

As among those who rejected Sandakan's coal power plant construction, he reminded the government that Sabahans were opposed to coal as an option to generate power and should not reconsider it.

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He also questioned what happened to the natural gas power plant plan that was supposed to be built in Sandakan, adding he had repeatedly raised this in Parliament.

"The government had repeatedly promised to build a natural gas power plant and did not consider using coal to generate power. Therefore, the sudden change has me very frustrated," he said.

"This plan was never been discussed in Parliament. The Government had promised many times to build a natural gas power plant in Sandakan. However, the natural gas power plant has not yet landed.

Instead, the government plans to build a lignite power plant and continues to let cronies earning profit from independent power plants. This is very wrong."

He reiterated that the government should continue its natural gas power generation project and strive to promote renewable energy development such as solar power and bio-power generation.

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He also quoted the statement by Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili in October last year that the Government should gradually reduce coal usage for power generation throughout the country and promote renewable energy.

"It has even undermined the efforts of all countries in the world to reduce carbon emissions through the Paris Agreement."

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