Chong: Stop holding the people to ransom over power supply problem

KOTA KINABALU, 16 Aug 2009: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has urged Chief Minister Datuk Musa Hj Aman to stop intimidating and holding the people of Sabah to ransom over the perennial power supply problem in the state.

Urging this was SAPP Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah in a statement issued here today, in response to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's statement on Friday, that opposition parties and certain individuals are to be blamed for protesting the Government plan to set up a coal-fired power plant in the East Coast as measures to address the energy problem.

"Our suspicion over the worsening power supply situation in the state of late, and the State government's supposed inability to resolve the problem is getting clearer now, if not totally confirmed," said Chong.

He said such a suspicion was further consolidated by the fact that till to-date, the state government had failed to satisfactorily explain to the people of Sabah why it adamantly opted for the highly-polluted coal-fired power plant, when alternative, cleaner energy sources like natural gas is readily and abundantly available in the state.

"Instead, the state government has no problem allowing Petronas to pipe our natural gas 500 km to Bintulu via a RM3 billion pipeline and then make Sabah import hydroelectric power from Sarawak, which doesn't make sense at all. Why can't the State government get the TNB (Tenaga Nasional Bhd) to build the natural gas plant in Kimanis instead," he questioned.

Besides natural gas, SAPP had earlier also proposed/urged the state government to expedite the 200 MW Liwagu hydroelectric dam which is ideally located in the middle of the East-West Grid interconnection; to fully utilize the existing underutilized 275 kilovolts (kV) East West Grid for power transfer from the West Coast to the East Coast; and to import power from Sarawak's Bakun hydropower plant.

"And if TNB insists to site a power plant in the East Coast for reason of security of supply in an "islanded" network, then a gas pipeline from Kimanis to Tawau should be considered. After all, the pipeline distance from Kimanis to Tawau via Sapulut is shorter, less complicated and cheaper than that to Bintulu," Chong added.

He also reminded that it was the state government who had rejected the proposed coal-fired power plant in Silam, Lahad Datu in the first place, citing environmental reason.

On April 2, 2008, speaking on behalf of the entire state cabinet, Chief Minister Musa Aman was reported to have said: "After weighing the pros and cons, the cabinet decided to scrap the proposed project, because we do not want to risk the welfare and health of the communities in the area (in Lahad Datu) as well as any adverse impact on the environment [...] I know some say with today's technology, the proposed plant is safe and clean but some experts also disagree."

"The rejection was made without even waiting for any 'Environmental Impact Assessment Report' to be referred to," Chong noted.

He also demanded Musa to fully explain on his claim that gas-fired power plant is not feasible in the East Coast.

"We would like to know how he (Musa) arrived at such a conclusion," he said.

He reiterated that the state government should completely drop the idea of building a coal-fired power plant anywhere in the state, for the same reasons it cited in its decision to scrap the one proposed in Lahad Datu earlier.

"Coal should be the last option if and only when all other options have been sufficiently explored and proven to be non-feasible, but it certainly must not be regarded or portrayed as the only option," he stressed.

He further noted that besides being highly polluted, coal's prices are also constantly fluctuating whereas natural gas is cleaner, efficient, cheaper and abundantly available in the state.

He also reminded Musa that the biggest asset that the state has is its relatively unspoiled nature which besides providing the state and its people valuable water and food resources, also provided job opportunities to the locals and generate huge revenue for the state through eco-tourism.

"In his position, he (Musa) can always migrate elsewhere at any time he wants, but where are the majority of Sabah people going to go if the condition of the state becomes unlivable one day?" he asked.

SAPP is against dirty coal ...more Coal's Assault on Human Health Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. This conclusion emerges from our reassessment of the widely recognized health threats from coal. Each step of the coal lifecycle-mining, transportation, washing, combustion, and disposing of post combustion wastes-impacts human health. Coal combustion in particular contributes to diseases affecting large portions of the U.S. population, including asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, compounding the major public health challenges of our time. It interferes with lung development, increases the risk of heart attacks, and compromises intellectual capacity. Oxidative stress and inflammation are indicated as possible mechanisms in the exacerbation and development of many of the diseases under review. 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