Qazanah Sabah to push renewable energy sector efforts

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is driving the state's fledgling renewable energy sector forward with its strategic investment arm Qhazanah Sabah Bhd (QSB) involved in several sustainable power projects.

QSB is laying the groundwork for several hydro, solar and biomass power generation initiatives through subsidiary WHSB Ventures Sdn Bhd.

The subsidiary's senior general manager Jeremy Ronald E. Kimsin said it was keen to tap into Sabah’s potential for generating sustainable power.

"Sabah has great potential for sustainable energy that has yet to be realised.

"The state has viable geothermal and wind energy generating potential in addition to solar, hydro and biomass power," he said in a statement on Sunday (April 3).

QSB was talking to potential investors to develop these projects, he added.

AS an example of the state's potential, he said biomass power generation could take advantage of the waste from the agricultural sector.

The fast-flowing rivers along Sabah’s west coast and interior have been identified as being suitable for small-scale hydro power generation projects.

"We have identified rivers in Ranau, Kota Belud, Beaufort, Tenom and Keningau for such projects with a capacity of below 30MW each," he added.

Noting that the proposed renewable power projects were in rural areas, Jeremy said it was QSB’s practice to ensure that local communities had a say in the initiatives.

Jeremy said local communities stood to benefit indirectly from the construction of power generation projects as roads leading to the plants would also provide access to their settlements.

The roads would in turn help open up land for agricultural activities, make eco-tourism accessible and improve local incomes, he added.

QSB would also carry out corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes such as health checks in villages close to proposed power plant sites.

On another matter, he said QSB was also looking to set up an industrial waste disposal facility as such installations were lacking in the state.

"All this while, industrial waste is collected and shipped to the only two licensed waste management centres in Malaysia, in Negri Sembilan and Sarawak.

"Transporting this waste poses environmental and safety risks," he added.