Foreign NGOs supporting local activists asking Malaysian PM to scrap Sabah power plant

Roy Goh New Straits Times 5 Jul 10;

KOTA KINABALU: Some foreign non-governmental organisations and individuals are lending support to a local group that is protesting a plan to build a coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu.

Letters have been sent to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and websites have been highlighting the appeal from Green Surf (Sabah United to Re-power the Future) in its campaign to scrap the proposal.

Among those who wrote to the prime minister were American environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill, best known for staying in an ancient redwood for two years to prevent loggers from cutting down an old growth forest, and Australian environmentalist John Seed, the founder of Rainforest Information Centre, which has campaigned to save sub-tropical rainforests.

International environment organisation 350.org, which works on building global grassroots movements to cut carbon dioxide emissions, Four Years.Go and Wiser Earth are mobilising their networks to support the letter campaign.

In a statement, Green Surf said that the World Land Trust, Women's Earth Alliance and portal mongabay.com are among at least 30 organisations which have expressed concern over the construction of a coal plant between the Coral Triangle and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.

The Sabah coal story was the top most read story, with almost 9,000 hits on the mongabay.com site in May.

Green Surf's Cynthia Ong said copies of some of the letters were sent to her. There was deep concern globally about the proposal to build a 300 megawatt plant in Sabah which is known for its orang utan, rare rhinos and marine sites like Sipadan.

"In their letters, the organisations were positive about our prime minister's commitment to reduce the carbon emission intensity by up to 40 per cent by 2020. They admire his leadership in the Coral Triangle Initiative.

"They commended Datuk Seri Najib for his commitment to exploring alternative energy sources following his acknowledgement that Malaysia's current fuel mix for power is skewed too much in favour of natural gas and coal."

Ong said those who had written to Najib stressed the fact that the developing world does not need to repeat the damaging mistakes of the developed world, which now need huge resources to repair.

"The developing world can lead the way for the world into the 21st century and beyond. Malaysia has strong potential to blaze that trail.

"The opportunity exists now for you to be a champion for Malaysia and for the world -- to move forward into a clean energy future," she said, elaborating on details in the letters.

The organisations have offered to stand by Malaysia if it decides to build a clean energy economy.

"There are many organisations and individuals who are concerned about this project. They have been asking us about the government's proposal," Ong said.

Green Surf is a coalition of five NGOs and individuals which are asking the government to opt for clean energy options to solve power woes in Sabah. Coalition members include WWF-Malaysia, Land Empowerment Animals People (Leap), Sabah Environment Protection Association (Sepa), Malaysian Nature Society-Sabah and Partners of Community Organisations (Pacos)

Global call to scrap coal plant
The Star 5 Jul 10;

KOTA KINABALU: International conservationists are calling on Malaysia to lead the way towards green energy by scrapping the controversial coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu.

They have written to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak asking him to scrap the 300MW plant.

Sabah’s coalition of NGOs - Green SURF spokesperson Cynthia Ong said some of the letters made available to them reflected global concerns over the power plant.

“In their letters, the organisations were positive about our PM’s commitments to reduce carbon emission intensity by up to 40% in 2020 and admired his leadership in the Coral Triangle Initiative.

“They commended Najib for his commitment in exploring alternative energy sources following his own acknowledgement that Malaysia’s current fuel mix for power is skewed too much in favour of natural gas and coal,” Ong said.

Ong added that those who had written to Najib highlighted that the developing world should not repeat the costly and damaging mistakes of the developed world.

Among those who had written to Najib were American Julia Butterfly Hill, best known for staying in an ancient redwood for two years to prevent loggers from cutting down an old growth forest, and Australian John Seed, the founder of Rainforest Information Centre which successfully campaigned to save sub-tropical rainforests.

International environment organisations 350.org, Four Years. Go and Wiser Earth are mobilising their networks to support the letter campaign.

Ong said the World Land Trust, Women’s Earth Alliance and portal mongabay.com were among at least 30 organisations that also expressed their concern.

The Sabah coal story was the most read story, with almost 9,000 hits, on mongabay.com in May, she added.

The organisations have offered to stand by Malaysia if it decided to build a clean energy economy.

Ong said SOS Borneo has sent e-mails to hundreds of thousands worldwide to drum up support to stop the proposed plant which is to be built at the apex of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Eco-region.

Conservationists protest Malaysia coal plant plan
Julai Zappei, Associated Press Google News 5 Jul 10;

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Conservationists criticized a plan Monday to build a coal-fired power plant in an environmentally fragile state on Borneo island, but energy officials said the project will provide a much-needed electricity supply boost.

Energy projects have often generated protests in Malaysia's two states in Borneo, with activists alleging authorities and companies ignore the rights of indigenous tribal communities and cause environmental harm by cutting down swaths of jungle.

Green Surf, a coalition of nongovernment conservation groups, including the World Wildlife Fund, said a proposed coal plant near a wildlife reserve in Sabah state would displace villagers and threaten endangered orangutans and other animals like rhinoceroses and elephants.

"They cannot say that the impact is very small and isolated," Green Surf official Cynthia Ong said. "We really feel we have to stand firm on this no-coal message."

Sabah Electricity, the state's main power supplier, has said the 300-megawatt plant is needed to meet electricity demand, which is expected to increase up to 8 percent annually.

The plant has not yet been formally approved by the Malaysian government's Department of Environment, said Ahmad Faraid Yahya, the director of the project's main developer, Lahad Datu Energy Sdn. Bhd.

If it is approved, construction could begin by the middle of next year at an estimated cost of 1.7 billion ringgit ($529.5 million), he said. The plant could then start operating by March 2013.

Ahmad Faraid pledged that developers would use equipment to reduce harmful emissions and monitor air and water quality regularly. He added the plant would be located in a palm oil plantation so that no wildlife or villagers would be affected.

In Malaysia's neighboring Sarawak state in Borneo, conservationists have criticized the construction of various dams that have displaced thousands of indigenous people and triggered land rights disputes.

Malaysia urged to scrap coal plant in eco-sensitive Borneo
Yahoo News 6 Jul 10;

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Environmentalists on Tuesday condemned a plan to build a coal-fired power plant on Malaysian Borneo, saying it will harm the island's fragile coral reefs and rainforests.

The 300-megawatt plant in Lahad Datu, in the east of Sabah state, will face the Coral Triangle which is one of the world's most biodiverse marine environments.

The area, which spans the seas around East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands, is home to 75 percent of all known coral species.

The opposition is led by Green Surf, a coalition of groups including the Malaysian Nature Society, which says the proposal will displace villagers and threaten endangered species including orangutans and Bornean rhinos.

"There is deep concern globally about the proposal to build a 300-megawatt plant in Sabah which is known for its orangutan, rhinos and renowned marine sites like Sipadan," said Cynthia Ong from Green Surf.

"We are saying no to the coal plant. Borneo is a bio-diversified hotspot, and it will have an impact on the coral reefs," she told AFP.

News reports said construction of the 1.7 billion ringgit (532 million dollar) power plant could start in mid-2011 if government approval is granted. The station could begin operating in two years.

Masidi Manjun, minister for tourism, culture and environment in Sabah, said the coal plant would meet local electricity demands and help drive economic growth.

"One of the problems in Sabah is insufficient power to fuel growth. Sabah is facing a severe under-capacity of energy," he said.

The government will "make a decision soon" but will listen to suggestions from the public, he added.

The plant is the latest energy project to stir controversy in Borneo. The vast Bakun dam in neighbouring Sarawak which saw swathes of rainforest cleared and thousands of indigenous people displaced also drew intense criticism.

Sabah and Sarawak states make up Malaysia's half of Borneo island, which is shared with Indonesia.