The long outstanding and most pressing problem facing the people on the East Coast of Sabah is the acute shortage of power supply. Constant disruption of power supply has affected businesses and development in the areas.
The state government may have to decide soon whether to listen to the environmentalists or the people at large. There were strong oppositions from environmental groups citing pollution as the reason they are against the use of coal.
The following are reasons for objection given by an environmental group in Sandakan:
30 Reasons Why Sabah Does Not Need a Coal-fired Power Plant
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and its subsidiary, Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB), have been ardently lobbying on behalf of an Independent Power Provider (IPP) called Lahad Datu Energy Sdn. Bhd. to set up a 300 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Sabah since 2007. Having failed in their efforts to build the project in Lahad Datu, they are now focusing their attention in trying to move the plant to Sandakan.
Political leaders, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), stakeholders, ordinary citizens and even TNB and SESB have spoken about the negative effects of coal-fired plants. They have voiced their concern regarding marine and forest ecology destruction, acid rain, biodiversity imbalance, mercury in food, health and welfare of future generations, depleting seafood source, global warming and climate change, destruction of famous tourism attraction sites, alternate and renewal energy options, economics of running a coal-fired fired plant and many other related issues. Read more.............
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