KUCHING: Sarawak could be producing more than 3,300MW of hydro power within the next three years and yet the state Barisan Nasional government is insisting it requires new coal-fire plants to generate more power.
The state’s Second Minister for Planning and Resource Management Awang Tengah Ali Hassan stunned environmentalist by stating that Sarawak needed coal-fired power to complement its hydro power generation, especially in Sarawak’s Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) to meet high demand in energy-intensive industries.
“Yes, we know coal is not renewable energy,” he said in rebuking a claim by the Borneo Resources Institute that the Sarawak government had classified the mining and exploitation of coal reserves under the term of renewable energy projects.
“However, with the combination of resources, coal can be used a as a source of power generation to meet the high demand for power in the energy-intensive industries in the state,” he told reporters after officiating opening the Arcardia Apartments yesterday.
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