KUCHING: A leading player in the renewable energy sector has commended the Sarawak government for its environmental sustainability initiatives.
The praise comes from Cypark Resources Berhad, the nation’s pioneering developer and provider in integrated renewable energy, construction and engineering, green technology and environmental services as well as waste management and waste-to-energy.
Its group chief executive officer Datuk Daud Ahmad said the company is relishing an opportunity to work with Sarawak in a collaborative effort towards environmental sustainability.
“We are now looking forward to doing more, that is why we are looking into Sarawak. We understand that Sarawak has a good masterplan and leadership under Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in driving renewable energy into the next stage.
“We want to be part of Sarawak’s efforts in doing this,” he told New Sarawak Tribune and its sister paper, Suara Sarawak recently.
Cypark is currently operating the nation’s largest floating power solar plant in Danau Tok Uban in Kelantan together with Cove Suria Sdn Bhd and co-partner Kelantan Utilities Mubaarakan Holdings Sdn Bhd (KUM).
The floating solar plant consists of 247,830 solar panels, capable of generating about 140,000 MWh of power per year, powering up to 46,480 households while saving about 96,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
“Everyone is doing solar on land which requires hundreds and thousands of acres of land. We believe that productive land should not be sacrificed, even if it is abundantly available.
“Sarawak is blessed with large land and water areas. While water surface on its own does not currently have any economic value, the implementation of floating solar panels can bring not only economic value, but also job opportunities,” he said.
At the same time, he also alluded to Cypark’s beginnings as an environmental focus company with emphasis on waste management and carbon emission.
“These are the two most famous subjects when you talk about the environment, so we focus on these two areas. Firstly, the conventional method in waste management is to send it to landfill and it is put underground for the waste to slowly decompose perhaps over 20 years.
“However, we believe that land should be used in the most productive way because landfill can take up hundreds of acres of land. The land used is often precious and productive,” he said.
Daud said on top of treating waste in a more efficient manner, there are opportunities to recover the resources hence the waste-to-energy approach.
Referring to the quote ‘waste to wealth’, he said there is energy value in the waste itself as it can be converted and sold as green energy that brings environmental and economic benefits.
Similar to the use of land for landfills, Daud said it is crucial to ensure that precious and productive land is not being wasted.
“Besides Singapore, which is a city state, we are the first to do this in Southeast Asia. We have a solid waste modular advanced recovery and treatment waste-to-energy (SMART WTE) plant at Ladang Tanah Merah, Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan that is in operation.”
Meanwhile, Cypark chairperson Datuk Ami Moris waxed lyrical on the target by Sarawak towards net-zero emission by 2050.
She said the level of focus by the Sarawak government in realising this as well as its Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS 2030) is inspirational.
Describing it as far-sighted and forward looking, she said this will not only have significant impacts on the regional context, but global context – which Cypark takes notice.
“We have a track record experience and expertise that we are bringing to the table, so we hope that there will be opportunity for us to become a partner with Sarawak.
“The state government has provided the platform, direction and vision which align with ours, so we would love to able to be a part of this,” she said.
Ami said Cypark’s main objective is the future of planetary health as the company is passionate about the environment and with the future of the generations to come in mind.
She said the company has delivered on a significant scale and proven that local expertise is able to design, build, operate and maintain the floating solar solution as well as the waste-to-energy technology.
“Daud, who is one of the founding persons in the company, has more than two decades of very detailed experience. The floating solar solution and waste-to-energy technology will become something that is important in moving forward.
“We believe that we can be a good contributor to Sarawak’s overall renewable energy aspiration considering our experience and expertise. Thus, if we can work with a state government like Sarawak that can bring scale to the table, that is naturally an opportunity that we look forward to,” she said.
