PBS suggests smaller auxiliary power plants

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 20 (The Borneo Post) -- A series of smaller auxiliary power plants should be built to meet the power needs of the Sandakan and Tawau divisions following the scrapping of the coal power plant near Lahad Datu, said PBS information chief Datuk Johnny Mositun.

The Deputy State Assembly Speaker is wondering if one big power plant to supply the east coast was the only option.

“During the long-running battle between proponents of the coal-fired power plant and those who opposed it, I did wonder why nobody considered the option of building a series of smaller auxiliary power plants to meet the power needs of the Sandakan and Tawau divisions.

“Of course I understand the principle of economies of scale, but balanced against the need to preserve the environment and the wishes of the people, surely the option of building smaller plants in Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau and linking them with a grid is worth considering. A little more time taken, perhaps, and possibly more money needed, but it would be worth it to preserve our environment,” he said.

Mositun added this option could be the only feasible solution considering the present economic situation and general rise in prices of diesel, coal, natural gas and industrial equipment and machinery.

He said it would cost less and take less time to build a 150MW power station in Sandakan immediately and resolve that area’s power woes within a couple of years.

“Similar or slightly smaller plants could be separately built in Tawau and Lahad Datu, either simultaneously or slightly later, but the idea should be considered. The main point is that a staggered solution to the power woes of the east coast is better than no solution. We’ve already wasted six years on a mega project that never materialized,” he said.

Mositun said TNB and SESB had also not been clear about the proposed 300 MW power plant that had been scrapped.

“If it was intended to shut down the existing power stations in Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad and supply the entire region from the proposed 300 MW plant, SESB could reconsider. With repairs and new equipment, these stations could still function adequately, so any new station of say 100-120MW could more than double the supply to that particular area,” he said.

In any event, Mositun said his view was that of a layman and not a professional.

“It is up to TNB and SESB. They are the power experts and know the merits or demerits of what I am thinking aloud. After all, my suggestion is only that of a layman, well intended but possibly not possible or feasible,” he said.