Government of Malaysia and UNDP Promote Renewable Energy @2006

The government of Malaysia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday announced a new initiative to boost efforts for the adoption of biomass as one of many renewable energy sources for the country. “UNDP and the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications (MEWC) will facilitate a privately owned company in building a full-scale model biomass power plant to demonstrate the feasibility of a biomass-based power generation system,” said Dr Richard Leete, UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam. 

(In energy production and industry, biomass refers to living and recently living biological material which can be used as fuel or for industrial production. Biomass is grown from several plants, including palm oil.)


The construction of the RM70 million plant is funded by the private sector and co-financed by the government of Malaysia, UNDP/Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Malaysian Electricity Industry Trust Account (MESITA) through an innovative financing mechanism managed by Bank Pembangunan, he added. Malaysia’s effort in promoting the use of renewable energy is highly commendable, especially so given the country’s abundance of palm oil wastes and the rising global demand for oil, said Dr Leete. 

“This will definitely help the country to mitigate the harmful greenhouse gases generated from the energy sector and facilitate Malaysia’s voluntary commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.  UNDP Malaysia will do all it can to support and assist the government in achieving its objectives,” he stressed. The initiative is implemented under BioGen (Biomass-based Power Generation and Co-generation in the Malaysian Palm Oil Industry) -- a national project executed by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communication (MEWC) which started in 2002 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by catalysing the implementation of biomass technology in the palm oil industry using palm oil wastes. 

A Memorandum Of Understanding was signed on Thursday between BioGen’s implementing agency, Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (PTM) on behalf of the MEWC, and MHES Asia Sdn Bhd, a privately-owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) company established to develop and operate the plant in Negeri Sembilan.  The plant, to be located in Serting, Bahau, will have a capacity of 13 MW and will utilise empty palm oil fruit bunches as main fuel. The power plant is expected to be completed in 2008.

UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. They are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.  Its current priority is to help all countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. 
To read more about the work of UNDP in Malaysia, please visit website at www.undp.org.my


PTM is Malaysia’s national energy research centre and the implementing agency of the BioGen project. It is administered by the Ministry of Energy, Communications and Multimedia and co-ordinate various activities, specifically energy planning and research, energy efficiency, and technological research, development and 
demonstration (R,D&D) undertaken in the energy sector. 

GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities. 


For further information, please contact: 
Hazlin Hassan, Communications Associate, 
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME  
Wisma UN, Block C, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, 
Jln Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 KL 
Tel No. 603 2091 5154 Fax : +60 3 2095 2870 
Email: hazlin.hassan@undp.org
Shom Teoh, Communications Officer, 
Energy and Environment Cluster 
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME  
Wisma UN, Block C, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, 
Jln Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 KL 
Tel No. 603 2091 5104 Fax : +60 3 2095 2870 
Email : shom.teoh@undp.org 
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