Malaysia goes ahead with 36 MW geothermal plant project at Apas Kiri
Sabah, Malaysia (source: flickr/ onemorebiteblog, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
21 Jul 2011
Malaysia is going forward with a 36 MW project estimated at US$100 million to be built at Apas Kiri. The project run by Tawau Green Energy is expected to go online within 3 years and provide power to Sabah.
This morning, Malaysian news paper Daily Express reports, that “a RM300 million (US$100 million Geothermal Power Plant – the first of its kind in the country – will be built at Apas Kiri located between the Andrassy Forest Reserve and Taman Bukit Tawau.
It is expected to be completed within three years.
Project Director Andrew Amaladoss from Tawau Green Energy Sdn Bhd said once the project is completed it would help Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd generate heat energy-based power in Sabah.
He said the geothermal power plant would be using steam from the hot spring water to move the power turbine and produce electricity and is expected to be able to do so for the next 16 to 25 years.
According to him, the Federal and State governments had approved the project last April and an agreement between SESB and other interested parties would be sealed by September or October this year.
He said the area has the capacity to generate 67 MW but under phase one, a power plant with the capacity of 36mw would be built, with 30MW to be distributed to SESB.
Speaking after negotiation meeting between the stakeholders for the Geothermal Power Plant project at Kg Tass Balai Raya here, Wednesday, he also assured the kampung people in the nearby area that the project has no threats to them.
He said that among the advantages of using geothermal power was it is clean, required not a big area, cost saving and is not harmful to the people and environment.
Also present were Sri Tanjung Assemblyman, Jimmy Wong, SESB South Zone Manager, Rudy Thaddeus, Apas People Development Officer (PKR) Naim Ahmat, Umno Kalabakan Youth chief, Mohd Gasing Saling and about 250 residents of Kampung Tass Andrassy.”
Source: Daily Express
