Len Talif (second right) in a light moment with (from left) Ismawi, Spelten, Bernbeck and Brandt. — Photos by Chimon Upon and Tang SW

KUCHING: Sarawak has a tremendous potential to become a premier biomass processing hub in the South East Asia region, given the availability of various biomass feedstock particularly from the oil palm industry, timber industry as well as municipal waste.

Thus, the government has given priority to maximising the use of biomass resources for production of renewable energy, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem highlighted yesterday.

“In line with the country’s vision and mission, the Malaysia Innovation Agency launched the National Biomass Strategy 2020 initiative in 2011 with an objective to develop the biomass industry into a high value industry in Malaysia and becoming the premier biomass processing hub in the Asean region,” he said.

Adenan’s text of speech was read by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Promotion of Technical Education) Datu Len Talif Salleh at the ‘Waste-to-Energy’ Biomass-Energy Symposium at Hilton Hotel here.

Sharing their experiences while introducing their projects, solutions and technical expertise to Malaysian stakeholders and industry players at the symposium were German technology providers and experts from the biomass and biogas industry.

The symposium was organised by the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) in collaboration with the State Planning Unit in the Chief Minister’s Department and supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy.

With more than 430 plantations across Malaysia and more than 60 in Sarawak, the oil palm industry has a biomass potential of up to 80 million tonnes a year, providing a tremendous potential for the production of storable bio-energy in the form of pellets and briquettes, Adenan added.

Besides that, Adenan continued, palm oil mill effluent (POME) which has high organic content has great potential for biogas production.

Meanwhile, Len Talif shared that Sarawak had two stand-alone power generation plants in Sibu and Tanjung Manis but not connected to the state power grid and a biogas plant for pig farming located some 70km from here which was expected to operate soon.

He said there was a crucial need for the government to look into connecting the stand-alone pig farming biogas plant to the state power grid as well as the use of biomass from agriculture for renewable energy.

Continuing on, Len Talif said Adenan expressed optimism that the participants would get to know the latest technological advances and industry trends during the symposium.

“As Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) progresses, I believe this symposium will provide excellent platform for stakeholders, potential investors, technology suppliers, industry professionals and players to meet and discuss a wide spectrum of development issues and areas of interest in the bio-energy sector,” he said.

Germany has taken a pioneering role in this field to become both the market and technology leader today with substantial expertise particularly in the area of gasification based on organic waste and renewable sources.

Its renewable energy sector is among the most innovative and successful in the world.

Currently, the country operates around 7,000 biogas and biomass plants.

MGCC executive director Daniel Bernbeck said the German government has been closely involved in supporting the global dissemination and transfer of technologies for renewable energy.

“Green is the way to go and renewable energy is perhaps the most important area for sustainable future of our planet,” he said.

Bernbeck said Germany decided to stop utilising nuclear energy and focus on increasing the use of renewable energy sources after the Fukushima disaster.

He hopes to see Germany and Malaysia strike smart partnership through this symposium and enhance the bilateral ties between the two countries.

“We really see the huge potential in this area especially for Sarawak and Malaysia with its prosperous production of biomass resources. This is exactly the place where Germany should be partnering and investing,” he said.

State Planning Unit director Datu Ismawi Ismuni, Economic Counsellor of the Embassy of Germany to Malaysia Wolfram Spelten and MGCC general manager Thomas Brandt were present.