KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will only consider coal as an alternative power source if there are no other options, reiterated its state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said as what the public knows, Sabahans are "not exactly friends of coal" although Sabah is sitting on a significant coal deposit.
“And we’d like to maintain that unless there is no other choice,” he said after officiating at the Sabah Renewable Energy Conference 2025 here on Thursday (April 24).
Having said that, there is so much at stake when considering coal as a power source, Masidi said, adding that for the purpose of sustainability, there are many things which need to be sacrificed, even though it has vast economic potential.
“We need to look at this on a long term basis,” Masidi said, adding that the goal was to ensure sustainable and consistent, reliable power generation for the people of Sabah.
He said this is a commitment towards green technology, and the state government was willing to sacrifice wealth (from mining and use of coal) for the sake of the environment.
On related matters, he said natural gas, like all other resources, were at risk of depleting if they were not managed properly.
Mitigation is crucial, Masidi said, while explaining that the goal was to generate income, develop green energy industries, without the unsustainable exploitation of Sabah’s natural resources.
With the current low reserve margin in Sabah’s energy supply, he said there would be hindrances and difficulties in achieving Sabah’s goal of developing its green energy sector, and in this regard, the federal government has an important role to play to assist Sabah.
