LUMUT: The Manjung 4 coal-fired power station in Manjung, near here, can generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity and at the same time, fulfill two objectives of the national energy policy, namely supply security and preserving the environment.
The Manjung 4 plant is part of the Sultan Azlan Shah Power Station.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the use of “Ultra Super-Critical” modern and state-of-the-art technology at the power station ensures power generation that is safe and at the same time, overcomes environmental concerns.
He said with the Manjung 4 power station, the dependency on electricity supply can be strengthened via cost effective construction.
“The use of effective equipment to control air pollution will ensure that pollutants are curtailed and do not surpass the standards set by the Department of Environment,” he said in his speech at the inauguration of the Sultan Azlan Shah Power Station yesterday.
The event was officiated by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah.
Elaborating further, Ongkili said he was confident that the use of green technology will contribute to sustainable development where economic growth and the development of the country can be attained without destroying the environment.
“It can be said that Manjung 4 is a coal-fired power station that uses the most efficient generation technology in Southeast Asia at present,” he added.
He said the generation of electricity using green technology at Manjung 4 also meets one of the key principles of the 11th Malaysia Plan, that is achieving green growth by reducing carbon intensity in the national economy.
According to Ongkili, Malaysia is not just focusing on green technology but also exploring various sources of renewable energy towards the efforts to provide environmental friendly electricity, including the use of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) mechanism such as from solar, biomass, geothermal as well as micro hydro.
“To accelerate this effort, aggressive measures are being taken to enhance the generation of renewable energy of 1,000 MW from 2017 to 2020 through the construction of large capacity solar energy facilities.
“We are also building biomass plants that generate biogas and also geothermal facilities to produce electricity,” he added.
Ongkili said the initiatives being taken by Malaysia are aimed at generating an installed capacity of 2080 MW from renewable energy, that is 7.8 per cent of the overall installed capacity by 2020 in peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
He added that the government was also taking a number of measures to reduce the use of electricity by eight per cent in 10 years from 2016, including ensuring that the temperature in government buildings was not lower than 24 degrees Celsius.
Construction of the Manjung 4 project began on March 31, 2011 on a reclaimed island covering 325 hectares near Pulau Rubiah a cost of about RM6 billion. — Bernama