KOTA KINABALU: The state government has not given any formal approval for the relocation of the 300MW Silam coal power plant in the east coast of Sabah.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that the State Cabinet had yet to discuss the possibility of the coal plant being sited at a different location within the east coast.

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At this point, we have not received any formal application. We will look at it and decide when the time comes,¡± he said, reacting to an outcry by environmentalists after announcements that the state had agreed to the coal plant project.

Masidi said this following a statement by Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shahizan Abu Mansor that Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman had agreed in principle for the project to be relocated.

The State Cabinet rejected last month the proposed RM1.3bil coal-powered plant undertaken by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, on environmental concerns and asked the power utility company to seek alternatives to coal power.

Sabah Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) president Wong Tack said SESB and TNB should abandon their plans for a coal-powered plant and instead opt for the cleaner natural gas that is readily available in the state.

¡°There is no way that people in Sabah would agree to accept a potential environmental scourge. SEPA will continue to rally against the project,¡± he said.

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