Peninsula-based private energy firm, Afmaco Energy Bhd (Afmaco), recently held a press conference to announce its plans for a clean-fuel refinery complex in Pasir Putih, Tawau, on Sabah’s east coast.
Afmaco, through its CEO Ahmad Faizul Mohamed Alwi, told the media the project would rely on technology tested in China to produce clean fuel and energy.
He said it would run on a proven environmentally-friendly method using lignite, which is also known as surface coal, as the raw material to generate power while employing a zero-waste system.
However, Pang said his ministry had yet to receive any official report or application from the company.
“First of all, from what I read, they (Afmaco) have yet to get any approval from the government.
“And at their recent press conference, only the company representatives were present and none from the government. All this is just talk now,” he said.
At its press conference, Afmaco said it had obtained a manufacturing and refining licence from the trade and industry ministry and was awaiting approval from the Energy Commission, energy, green technology and water ministry and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd before preparing the environmental impact assessment.
Pang said his side would study the proposal when it was forwarded to them, adding that it was premature to properly comment on the project just yet.
He said however that he would be open to the idea if the project was done properly.
“If things are in order and the company can deliver as they claimed, why not?”
In 2011, the federal and state governments scrapped plans to build a controversial coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu following sustained objections by the public.
The Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa), one of the most active NGOs leading the efforts against the power plant then, also expressed concern about this new development.
Its president, Lanash Thanda, said she could not comment much as she did not have full knowledge of the project.
However, she said “warning bells start ringing when groups use terms like ‘cheap, known technology, proven to produce clean fuel’ and ‘zero-waste system'”.
“Clean coal technology is not cheap, and lignite is cheap dirt.
“We can’t even achieve a zero-waste system when it comes to our palm oil industry, and we have been doing that for years with some of the best research and development in the field.
“Sepa will stick to our original motto of ‘No coal’ in Sabah, and that all coal is dirty,” she told FMT.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/11/30/comeback-for-shelved-coal-plant/
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/08/oil-and-gas-rich-sabah-looking-at-coal-again/