Biomass and its potential in Sabah, Malaysia

 

Introduction  

Biomass is organic matter that can be used as a source of energy, materials, or products. – Biomass has several advantages as a renewable and sustainable energy source, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, diversifying energy supply, creating jobs, and enhancing rural development.

Biomass can be derived from various sources, such as wood, agricultural crops and wastes, municipal solid waste, animal manure, human sewage, and microalgae.

Biomass can be converted into various forms of energy, such as heat, electricity, or biofuels, or into various products, such as biochar, bioplastics, or bioproducts.

Biomass Potential in Sabah

Sabah is a state in Malaysia that has a large potential for biomass development, especially from the oil palm industry.

Sabah is the largest producer of crude palm oil in Malaysia, accounting for about 30% of the national production in 2020.

The oil palm industry generates a huge amount of biomass, such as empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fibre, palm kernel shells, palm oil mill effluent, oil palm trunks, and fronds.

These biomass resources can be used to produce biofuels, biogas, biochar, bioplastics, or other bioproducts, that can create additional revenue, employment, and environmental benefits for Sabah.

Sabah also has other sources of biomass, such as wood, agricultural crops and residues, municipal solid waste, and microalgae.

In the region, Sarawak hosted the world’s largest mass microalgae biomass production facility, called Chitose Carbon Capture Central (C4), in April 2023.

The facility will use carbon dioxide from a nearby coal-fired power plant to cultivate microalgae, which can be harvested to produce biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, or other bioproducts.

Challenges and Opportunities for Biomass Development in Sabah

Sabah faces several challenges in biomass development, such as:

• Lack of infrastructure, technology, and skilled workforce: Sabah needs to invest in building and upgrading the infrastructure, such as roads, ports, power grids, and storage facilities, to facilitate the transportation and distribution of biomass and bioenergy. Sabah also needs to adopt and transfer the best available technologies and practices for biomass conversion and utilisation, as well as to train and educate the local workforce to enhance their capacity and skills.
• Environmental and social impacts: Sabah needs to ensure that the biomass development is environmentally and socially sustainable, and does not compromise the biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods of the local communities. Sabah needs to implement and enforce the environmental and social safeguards, standards, and regulations, as well as to promote the stakeholder engagement, consultation, and participation.
• Policy and regulatory barriers: Sabah needs to develop and implement a clear and coherent policy and regulatory framework to support and incentivise the biomass development, as well as to harmonise and coordinate with the national and regional policies and strategies. Sabah needs to address the issues of biomass ownership, supply, and pricing, as well as to provide the financial and fiscal incentives, such as subsidies, tax exemptions, feed-in tariffs, and green certificates, to attract the private sector investments and partnerships.

Sabah also has several opportunities for biomass development, such as:

• High potential and demand for biomass energy: Sabah has a high potential and demand for biomass energy, due to its abundant natural resources, favourable climate, and supportive policies. Biomass energy can help to meet the growing energy needs of Sabah, as well as to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and imported electricity. Biomass energy can also create a competitive advantage for Sabah in the regional and global markets, as well as to contribute to the national and international goals of renewable energy and climate change mitigation.
• Diversification and innovation of biomass products: Sabah has a potential to diversify and innovate the biomass products, such as biochar, bioplastics, or other bioproducts, that can add value and quality to the biomass resources. Biomass products can offer new and alternative solutions for various sectors, such as agriculture, industry, or environment, as well as to address the challenges of waste management, soil degradation, or water pollution. Biomass products can also create new markets and opportunities for Sabah, as well as to enhance the economic, environmental, and social benefits of biomass development.
• Collaboration and cooperation of stakeholders: Sabah has an opportunity to collaborate and cooperate with various stakeholders, such as the governments, industries, academia, and society, to facilitate and accelerate the biomass development. Collaboration and cooperation can help to share the knowledge, experience, and best practices, as well as to leverage the resources, capabilities, and networks, of the stakeholders. Collaboration and cooperation can also help to build the trust, confidence, and support, as well as to address the challenges and opportunities, of the biomass development.

Conclusion

Biomass is a renewable and sustainable energy source that can be derived from various sources, such as wood, agricultural crops and wastes, municipal solid waste, animal manure, human sewage, and microalgae.

Biomass can be converted into various forms of energy, such as heat, electricity, or biofuels, or into various products, such as biochar, bioplastics, or other bioproducts.

Sabah is a state in Malaysia that has a large potential for biomass development, especially from the oil palm industry, which generates a huge amount of biomass resources.

Sabah can implement various biomass projects, such as biogas capture and utilisation, biomass pellet production, or biochar application, which can create additional revenue, employment, and environmental benefits for the state.

Sabah faces several challenges in biomass development, such as lack of infrastructure, technology, and skilled workforce, environmental and social impacts, and policy and regulatory barriers, but also has several opportunities, such as high potential and demand for biomass energy, diversification and innovation of biomass products, and collaboration and cooperation of stakeholders.

Sabah needs to adopt a holistic and integrated approach, involving the collaboration and cooperation of all the relevant actors, to harness its biomass potential and create a green and prosperous future for the state and the nation.

STRAT369 Consulting Sdn Bhd is a Consulting company in the field of Strategy and Economics. Established in 2016 and registered with the Ministry of Finance (MOF), we are ready to navigate the dynamic landscape of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) initiatives. With a proven track record, we possess expertise in conducting comprehensive studies across three key areas: Strategy & Economy, Public-Private Partnership, and Capital Projects & Infrastructure. Our commitment to staying abreast of industry developments and leveraging our strategic insights uniquely positions us to provide valuable consultation and support in the evolving realm of CBDC.