06/05/2009 (Asia.cnet) - A few weeks ago, I mentioned that after the Cabinet reshuffle, we now have a Ministry of Energy, Green Technology & Water helmed by Yang Berhormat Peter Chin. YB Peter Chin was formerly helping to promote Malaysia's palm oil as biofuel, among other responsibilities as Malaysia's Minister of Plantation Industries & Commodities.

So what can we expect from the new green tech ministry? I have to be honest, I have been a skeptic. I wondered if the new ministry's definition of green tech was "palm oil as biofuel" and little else. After all, palm oil is a resource we have in great abundance and would like to sell in great abundance.

Last week, the news broke that the the ministry would carry out a study to determine a healthy balance of energy-generation sources for Malaysia.

"We want to work out an ideal ratio of energy source from fossil fuel, hydro-power, solar-power, wind-power, coal, wave-power and bio-diesel, so that we will not depend too much on just a few sources of fuel," says YB Peter Chin.

Before that, the ministry announced that the electricity generated at the controversial Bakun Dam will finally be usable--undersea cables will be built to transmit 10,000 megawatts to Peninsular Malaysia. It may be transmitted to Indonesia's Kalimantan, too, if Indonesia agrees.