Oil Palms in Sabah > Bio Diesel Development in Sabah
BIODIESEL FROM SABAH UNDER DEVELOPMENT
DECEMBER 2006
The 2008 growth outlook for the biofuel/biodiesel industry of the Malaysian
biodiesel industry would continue at a slower pace on account of high feedstock
prices and thinner margins, and the industry is anxiously awaiting an official
policy from the Government.
Malaysia expect stiff competition from Indonesia, whose producers currently
enjoy a lower CPO price after the Malaysian government increased CPO export duty
by up to 10%.
The Malaysian biodiesel industry currently depends on export. The expected
strong growth in the edible oils sector, particularly from China and India, and
the anticipated tight supply of oilseeds in 2008 would pose difficulties for the
biodiesel industry in terms of competition for raw materials and their resultant
firm prices.
However, for the world at large , the biodiesel industry would continue to
flourish in countries that are prepared to subsidies or introduce mandatory
blending ratios.
Both the public and private sectors carry out oil palm research and development
(R&D).
In Malaysia there are also many local plantation companies with R&D
facilities such as :
1) FELDA,
2) Golden Hope
3) United Plantations
4) Applied Agricultural Research.
The intensive research on oil palm and palm oil globally accounts for its
significant contribution and status in the oils and fat market.
In Malaysia, the success of the oil palm is attributed to many factors :
1) Favorable climatic conditions,
2) Well-established infrastructure,
3) Management skills and
4) Technology for oil palm cultivation and
5) A land ownership structure which favors estate type of agriculture.
Appropriate R&D in various disciplines such as crop physiology, agronomy,
genetics, tissue culture and biotechnology, must be strategically planned and
implemented.
The Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) was set up in 1974 and was
merged in 2000 with the Palm Oil Licensing Authority (PORLA) to form the
Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). MPOB now deals with all aspects of oil palm and
palm oil development and provides regulatory, training and technical advisory
services to all sectors of the industry.
Other research organizations that conduct research on oil palm and palm oil
include :
1) Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (IOPRI)
2) Nigerian Oil Palm Research Institute (NIFOR)
3) CENIPALMA in Columbia
4) CIRAD in France
5) Bah Lias Research Station in Indonesia.
Felda Global Ventures Holdings Berhad (FGV) via its subsidiary Felda Palm
Industries Sdn Bhd (FPI) launched its 4th Biogas Power Plant worth RM14 million
at its palm oil mill in Felda Umas, Tawau, Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The plant is the fourth biogas plant that will have the capacity to supply clean
electricity from renewable sources.
FPI (Felda Palm Industries) Biogas Power Plant was one of the first facilities
to be fully operational in Sabah.
In operation since 2012, the power plant, which has a biogas digester lagoon, is
able to generate 1,000 cubic metres of biogas per hour, supplying electricity to
3,000 households in the Felda Umas area, which has approximately 15,000 people.
Power generation projects from renewable sources (biogas) in palm oil mills
could be a benchmark for the industry.
Renewable sources (Tenaga Boleh Baharu - TBB) from the waste of manufacturing
activity to generate electricity could complement existing fuel mix while
reducing greenhouse gas emissions
In the long term, generating renewable energy will be the best alternative
source for electricity as well as lessen our dependency on fossil fuel.
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