Coal plant DEIA rejected

Kota Kinabalu, Aug 19, 2010: The Department of Environment (DOE) has rejected the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) for the controversial proposed 300MW coal-fired power plant at Sinakut, Dent Peninsular.

Sabah Environment Protection Department Director, Yabi Yangkat, said he was informed of the decision by the Director-General of DOE through a faxed message Wednesday afternoon.

A central reason DOE cited for rejecting the DEIA, prepared by a team of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Bakarunding consultants, was many important environmental parameters in respect to the proposed project were not addressed in the DEIA report, according to Yabi.

Coal-fired plant against green policy revisited

A bid for an emergency motion to enable the House to debate a proposed 300mW coal-fired power plant at Tungku in the east coast Lahad Datu district was rejected by Speaker Datuk Juhar Mahiruddin.

The emergency motion was tabled by Melanie Chia Chui Ket (SAPP-Luyang) who said that the coal-fired plant was not in line with the Government's emphasis on green energy.

"Developed nations are abandoning coal-fired plants. Why are we in Sabah taking something that has been abandoned," she said.

Melanie said the idea of a coal-fired plant was unpopular and it had been relocated twice, from Silam in Lahad Datu initially and then from Seguntor in Sandakan before being fixed at Tungku.

"The people of Lahad Datu and Seguntor had rejected the coal-fired plant and now the majority of Sabahans do not want it as well," she added.

Sabah discriminated by BN government

KOTA KINABALU, 26 May 2009: The Barisan Nasional (BN) Government is discriminating Sabah when it comes to providing the needed development, in particular, energy supplies, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).