RimbaWatch also called for SEB and the state government to make public any plans to export coal and to continue extraction despite the planned phase out of existing coal-fired power plants.
“Despite the climate impacts of the mine, the Sarawak government, SEB and the federal government have not provided any evidence that the development of the Balingian field would be consistent with Malaysia’s target to achieve net-zero by 2050,” it said in a statement today.
The group said the operators of the mine are planning to extract 1.6 million tonnes of coal a year for 25 years, which results in 10.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) of annual emissions and 190 million tCO2e of total carbon lock-in.
It is understood that the Balingian coal mine, located in an area covering 41,000ha near the Mukah and Balingian rivers, is operated by Balingian Energy Minerals Sdn Bhd in which SEB is a majority shareholder.
RimbaWatch also urged the department of environment (DoE) and Sarawak’s Natural Resources Environment Board to provide clarity on the status of the project’s EIA and publish the same in full.
It said mining of minerals in areas involving large scale operations must undergo a public consultation process pursuant to the DoE’s 2019 EIA Guidelines for Quarry and Mining.
“To date, no recent EIA for coal mining activities in Balingian is listed on the department’s online EIA database.
“Further, the Natural Resources and Environment Board does not make its EIA data publicly available, and it is therefore not possible to check if a state-level EIA for the mine had been prepared,” it said.
RimbaWatch also raised concerns that the clearance of forest for mining activities could result in the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
It said the Balingian coal mine, which became operational in 2017, possessed 1.5 billion tonnes of coal resources and is located in a peat swamp forest in Sarawak.
“Peat swamp forests are one of the most carbon intensive ecosystems in the world, storing significantly more carbon than other terrestrial forests, making it a high carbon stock forest.
“Our analysis finds that 144,857 tonnes of carbon will be released if this area is deforested for the mine,” it said.