More To Be Done To Develop Biogas Plants

Dato' Carl Bek-Nielsen, Vice Chairman of United Plantations, believes Malaysia should not follow Indonesia and pull out of the RSPO (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil), but says the government needs to review the taxes and quotas imposed on planters and oleochemical producers in view of Indonesia's move to cut refined palm oil exports. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, UP has invested in three biogas plants and will build more. But the development of biogas plants in Malaysia would only pick up if they are connected to the national grid so that energy can be sold to Tenaga. MPOB (Malaysian Palm Oil Board) is working on the grid connection with Tenaga. Planters can also sell carbon credits generated by biogas plants as a result of reducing carbon footprint but the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is questionable in view that carbon credit prices are at all time low, and there is no strong indication if the Kyoto Protocol will be renewed.