DEPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has called on Sabah to explore waste-to-energy solutions, adding it to the state’s untapped renewable energy potential.
Fadillah said Sabah’s natural advantages position it well for renewable energy generation, including solar and ocean kinetic energy.
He also urged the state to take a closer look at its waste problem, particularly marine pollution, as an alternative energy source.
“Sabah has significant potential for power generation, not just from gas but also from alternative energy sources like solar, ocean kinetic energy, and natural resources,” he said during the Sabah Electricity Christmas and Chinese New Year Open House in Tuaran.
Waste-to-energy, he added, could be a practical solution to Sabah’s environmental challenges while creating new economic opportunities.
“Waste has the potential to be converted into new energy. By collecting, processing, and selling waste, it can be turned into energy through waste-to-energy initiatives.”
“The only way is to turn all that waste into money, and if it becomes a source of income, we can eliminate landfills and instead convert it into energy.”
Fadillah also stressed the need for proper infrastructure to support Sabah’s progress, particularly after the state gained electricity regulatory powers under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
To aid this transition, the federal government has allocated RM3.54 billion in subsidies from 2024 to 2030, aimed at meeting Sabah’s energy and infrastructure needs.
2030 is the deadline Sabah Electricity would be returned to the state from Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
Sabah and Sarawak, Fadillah said, could also play crucial roles in ASEAN’s cross-border energy grid.
“Sabah and Sarawak can become hubs for energy negotiations in our country, with Sarawak supplying electricity to Sabah, estimated at around 50 million units, and God willing, this will increase to 100 million.”
“We already have areas for energy transmission between Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam,” he said. - January 26, 2025
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