DEVELOPMENT OF BIOMASS POWER PLANTS:EXCITING POSSIBILITIES FOR MALAYSIA

摘要

In May 2001, the Malaysian government launched the Small Renewable EnergyrnProgramme (SREP) which promised institutional support for investors of renewablernenergy (RE) projects. Most of the projects expected to take off would use biomassrnfuel, a waste product from palm oil mills. The government had recognised that therernwas a large energy potential from the waste discharged by the more than 300 mills inrnthe country. If properly managed, the total power output would meet 5 per cent ofrnMalaysia’s electricity demand.rnAbout two years later, the number of RE projects which have been implemented hasrnnot been encouraging, even though there have been overwhelming interest from bothrnmillers and power developers. Some millers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.rnThere are several factors causing this. One, new uses of empty fruit bunches (EFB),rnthe largest waste source, have been discovered. Instead of paying to get rid of thesernwastes, millers now expect to be paid for their use. Some developers have difficultyrngetting commitments for the supply of fuel and these commitments are a pre-requisiternfor financing these projects. Two, as with any new process, the large scale handlingrnand burning of EFB pose problems. Boiler performance has turned out to bernunsatisfactory while equipment to shred the EFB into manageable length fibres havernnot performed well.rnThe above are not insurmountable problems. Given enough time and governmentrnappreciation of the issues involved (and the strong backing of bilateral andrnmultilateral agencies in the form of funding of demonstration projects), developersrnwill be able to successfully build the biomass projects. This offers immensernpossibilities for Malaysia to showcase indigenous technologies which can bernexported. Unlike developed countries where renewable energy comes with a highrnprice for consumers, Malaysia has the right ingredients for producing electricity fromrnthis sources in an affordable manner. The electricity tariff can almost match those ofrnfossil fuels.