Attitude, action, aggressiveness

American Electric Power's Mountaineer coal power plant, with a new carbon capture unit alongside the plant's cooling tower and stacks, in New Haven, West Virginia. According to the US EIA, converting existing facilities with new CCS technology can often cost less than building a new one. – AFP

ONCE again, Malaysia caught the world’s eye for the wrong reasons.

According to an investigative report by The Washington Post published on Nov 7, Malaysia’s Biennial Update Report 3 (BUR3) claimed that Malaysia’s trees were absorbing carbon four times faster than similar forests in Indonesia.

The “surprising claim”, the Post pointed out, has allowed Malaysia to subtract over 243 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from its 2016 inventory – slashing 73% of emissions from its bottom line. As the American newspaper’s examination of 196 country reports revealed, there is a giant gap between what nations “declare their emissions to be versus the greenhouse gases they are sending into the atmosphere”. It said this inaccurate data is hampering the plan to save the world from the worst of climate change.

In its response, however, the Environment and Water Ministry stressed that BUR3 was prepared under multiple stakeholder consultations and reviews from the UNFCCC (United Nations Frame-work Convention on Climate Change) technical experts. The BUR3 also followed the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, but there was a refinement of the guidelines in 2019. The ministry added that our national forest inventory was reported in Malay, not English, and thus may have caused some misunderstanding.

Although the Post highlighted Malaysia’s case as an example in its report only to make a point of how many countries are underreporting their greenhouse gas emissions to the UN, the Malaysian ministry’s response is perplexing and disappointing.

Can Malaysia start treating the climate change problem seriously and professionally?

No use crying over spilt milk. To clear doubts and re-convince others, we should pull our socks up and redeem ourselves through actions.

After reviewing BUR3, I think that Malaysia’s current initiatives lack exploration of new technologies. The current policies focus on improving energy efficiency, installing more hydropower, paper recycling, and reducing deforestation.

In 2016, Malaysia’s total GHG emission was 264 Mt CO2 eq (million tonnes of CO2 equivalent), with electricity and heat production being the highest contributor at 39%, followed by road transportation at 21%, and manufacturing and construction at 9%. Here, I would like to suggest some immediate actions which are imperative to improve those three sectors.

Say no to coal-fired plants

Gas-rich countries like Australia and the United States normally consume gas domestically first before exporting the surplus. However, Malaysia imports 98% of its coal and is a gas exporter at the same time. Currently, the coal-fired power plants with 13.5GW (gigawatt)installed capacity are generating more than 40% of the country’s electricity consumption.

This year, the Prime Minister pledged there would not be any more new coal-fired plants. Furthermore, Malaysia’s Energy Commission plans to retire around 7GW of coal-fired capacity by 2033 upon the expiry of the power plants’ power purchase agreements. Despite the long-term plan to reduce reliance on coal, I think the effort is not enough because there are no other actions before 2033.

Malaysia should start coal plant conversion projects. With appropriate modification, coal-fired power plants can be converted to burn biomass and natural gas, both of which Malaysia has. Natural gas is recognised as an immediate solution for the energy sector while transitioning to renewable energy. Theoretically, it releases 2.68 times less CO2 per unit of electricity produced than coal.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, there were 86 coal-to-gas conversion projects in the United States between 2011 and 2019, as converting existing facilities can often cost less than building a new one.

Furthermore, the carbon pricing policy promised by Malaysia in COP26 discourages the existence of coal-fired plants. (COP26 is the 26th Conference of Parties to the Paris Climate Agreement that concluded last Saturday in Scotland.)

Coal-to-gas conversion is low hanging fruit for Malaysia to reduce GHG emissions while maintaining the stability of the energy supply. Thus, we should start the plant assessment now and join the Powering Past Coal Alliance, whether as a nation or sub-national entity.

CCS technology

Globally, carbon capture storage (CCS) technology construction plans have mushroomed over the last few years as they can be integrated into the existing energy system without causing huge disruption. The IPCC also emphasises the strategy for reducing global CO2 emission must be a combination of increased energy efficiency, more renewable energy production, and wide implementation of CCS.

Currently, Malaysia’s BUR3 covers the first two strategies, thus the deployment of CCS will complete the combination. CCS is exceptionally beneficial to Malaysia because it tackles two of the top three GHG emission contributing industries.

In the energy sector, the Boundary Dam Power Station (a 110MW coal-fired power plant) in Canada captures one million tonnes of CO2 every year using post-combustion amine absorption technology. In the cement industry, the Capitol Aggregates cement plant in Texas, the United States, captures 300,000 tonnes of CO2 per year while generating around US$48mil in revenue and US$28mil (RM200mil and RM117mil) in earnings annually. By venturing into CCS technology, not only facilitates knowledge transfer but can also lay out a foundation for blue hydrogen in the future.

Recently, Petronas had Xodus, a British energy consultancy, deliver feasibility studies and conceptual designs for its first CCS project in the Kawasari gas field off Sarawak’s coast. This is an astonishing first step for the country, and we should champion and advocate these practices among private and government-linked companies.

We must take advantage of the available 46 trillion cubic feet of storage volume across the depleted gas fields in Malaysia and implement nationwide CCS deployment.

Reduce transport emissions

The adoption of electric vehicles (EV) is extremely complex as careful considerations are needed when aligning incentives and mandates to targets, devising a comprehensive strategy to phase out old diesel and petrol vehicles, and installing nationwide charging ports.

Here is one short-term anti-pollution measure that we can learn from Britain. Since 2019, anyone who drives a gas-powered car that’s built before 2006 into London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) would be charged £12.50 (RM70.30). The Ulez was then extended gradually to cover most of Greater London. By 2022, there will be 10 cities in Britain implementing a similar strategy to encourage drivers to switch to electric cars or plug-in hybrids.

If we were to duplicate this successful transformation, there is one crucial step that must be carried out in parallel: revamping last-mile transportation in cities. This is to provide the public with another option if they cannot afford a low-emitting vehicle.

Speaking of EV, public buses can be the first to be powered by electricity because they have fixed routes, a shorter range of travel, and existing bus stop facilities. Leveraging these features, supercapacitors can be used instead of batteries. A supercapacitor is inherently safer and can be charged and discharged millions of times, allowing them to propel a bus for over 12 years. Besides, they can be slow charged at bus stops during waiting intervals. This provides a cost-effective charging station with both low initial costs and low operating costs.

EV adoption takes years. Setting a low emission zone is a quick win for us and it requires no technology or capital injection, thus it must kick off now.

Practise the 3As

Is Malaysia being overambitious in proclaiming that it will achieve net zero emissions by 2050?

I think it depends if Malaysia is willing to start practising the 3As: “Attitude, action, aggressiveness”.

We must improve our attitude and act professionally and responsibly right now instead of waiting until 2033. Moreover, we should also be more aggressive in looking for innovative technologies that can help curb GHG emissions in all industries.

I like the phrase, “aim for the stars land on the moon”, but I believe more in “action speaks louder than words”. We must delay no more in fighting climate change because we cannot afford the consequences of losing the only Earth we have. As clichéd as it may sound, the Earth is what we all have in common.

Tan Chen Horng is a postgraduate chemical engineer from Imperial College London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States who envisions driving low carbon emission initiatives by improving efficiency and adapting cutting-edge technologies in all industries. The views expressed here are solely his own.