MARKET DEVELOPMENT
13 More Biogas Plants To Be Commissioned
13 More Biogas Plants To Be Commissioned
04/11/2014 (The Star) - Malaysia’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of palm oil production will be bolstered when 13 more biogas plants currently being built are commissioned.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said 68 palm oil mills nationwide had set up biogas plants, with four of them generating electricity that was connected to the power grid and a fifth that supplied power directly to Felda schemes.
“The biogas from palm oil mill effluent (POME) contains methane, a greenhouse gas which has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
“If all mills capture and utilise this biogas, about 17 to 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions will be mitigated per year. This, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, is equivalent to about removing four million cars off the road.
“If this biogas is then used to generate electricity, about 500MW can be produced for the nation,” he added when opening at a two-day national seminar on palm oil milling, refining,environment and quality here yesterday.
Uggah said the Government’s efforts to get all palm oil mills to eliminate methane emissions was vital to the sustainability of palm oil production. He said the National Key Economic Areas targeted for all the palm oil mills to install biogas capture facilities as one of the entry points projects to obtain economic value from biogas energy and to reduce carbon footprint.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said 68 palm oil mills nationwide had set up biogas plants, with four of them generating electricity that was connected to the power grid and a fifth that supplied power directly to Felda schemes.
“The biogas from palm oil mill effluent (POME) contains methane, a greenhouse gas which has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
“If all mills capture and utilise this biogas, about 17 to 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions will be mitigated per year. This, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, is equivalent to about removing four million cars off the road.
“If this biogas is then used to generate electricity, about 500MW can be produced for the nation,” he added when opening at a two-day national seminar on palm oil milling, refining,environment and quality here yesterday.
Uggah said the Government’s efforts to get all palm oil mills to eliminate methane emissions was vital to the sustainability of palm oil production. He said the National Key Economic Areas targeted for all the palm oil mills to install biogas capture facilities as one of the entry points projects to obtain economic value from biogas energy and to reduce carbon footprint.