(Nov 24): With the proposed Baram hydroelectric dam shelved, Swiss forest conservancy group Bruno Manser Fund is now setting its sight on stopping work on the Baleh dam in Hulu Rajang river.

The Basel-based BMF said “it would be a huge mistake to replace the shelved Baram project with just another mega dam project such as the proposed 1300 MW Baleh dam”.

BMF said while the location of the Baleh is in a sparsely populated area, it would flood an even bigger area – 527 sq km than the 412 sq km of the shelved Baram project.

It called instead for a “democratic debate” on Sarawak's energy.

BMF also proposed the appointment of an independent expert group to look into the state's energy future “based on the development needs of the rural communities and 21st century sustainability criteria”.

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem last week shelved the 1200 MW Baram dam project due to massive protests by indigenous communities who feared losing their lands and livelihoods.

BMF said recent studies by the University of California-Berkeley have shown that there were more cost-effective and less risky energy solutions for Sarawak than building new mega dams.

“These scientific findings should now be used to design a new energy policy for Sarawak that enjoys the support of the whole population.”

The group was referring to the studies of a research team Berkeley University professor Dr Dan Kammen which found that a community-oriented energy strategy based around mini-grids with micro-hydro at the core, augmented with solar or biomass, could meet the state’s energy needs even for aggressive growth scenarios.

It said adverse biodiversity impacts of micro-hydros are much smaller than with mega dams.

The Baram dam, one of 12 which the state had planned to build to generate the power needed to power its industrialisation drive, would displace around 20,000 people if built. – The Malaysian Insider