Wednesday, July 16, 2008

WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2008- REMOTE RESORTS ENCOURAGED TO TAP SOLAR, HYDRO, WIND POWER

REMOTE RESORTS ENCOURAGED TO TAP SOLAR, HYDRO, WIND POWER
KOTA KINABALU:

Operators of remote resorts should tap the natural elements for an alternative source of electricity, suggested Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. He said water, wind and the sun can be used to generate power for cheaper and more efficient electricity supply. Speaking to reporters after a dialogue with local hoteliers and tour operators here yesterday, Masidi said to this end, his Ministry will be issuing remote resort operators with the eco-certification. to encourage them to make use of nature to create power. “My office is finalizing the terms of reference on eventually enforcing eco-certification on all remote resorts,” he said. According to Masidi, the whole idea is to encourage the resort operators to make use of nature to generate their own power. “We would like to encourage them to make use of solar energy, the water and the wind for instance, to generate power. On this score we would like all the remote resorts especially on the islands to make use of solar power for reasons such as it being ‘lean power’ as well as it being much more efficient and cheaper. “The second reason is simply because when you look at the trend all over the world, those resorts that have been eco-certificated command premium in terms of room rates and we would like t encourage that,” he said. It makes financial sense in the long run as the resort operators will get better financial returns, he said, adding, ‘that is the way forward for us’.He believed in the harnessing of nature to create power as it has been done in his village in Ranau where villagers built a mini hydro there. “In my own kampung, the electricity is generated by a mini hydro which was built at minimal cost and they now enjoy free electricity 24 hours. I believe it is all a question of creativity,” he sa Masidi was of the opinion that Government should look at the whole business of power generation as a service to the people rather than a business proposition. “This is very important because if the Government is provider of service to the community we talk less about profit. We talk about being able to provide basic facilities and service to the kampung people,” he stressed.

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