Kota Kinabalu: Renewable energy cannot replace fossil fuels, said Deleum Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer Ramanrao Abdullah.
However, he said renewable energy could complement fossil fuels.
“Renewable energy does not pollute – this is the biggest lie in the world,” he said during a plenary session titled “Energy Security and Sustainability in Oil, Gas and Energy Industry” at the 10th Sabah Oil, Gas and Energy Conference and Exhibition (SOGCE), at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), here, Thursday.
“All energy causes pollution, do not just point the finger at fossil fuel.”
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell’s Access to Energy helps power lives of isolated communities in Sabah Kota Kinabalu: In 2017, Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd (SSPC) launched Access to Energy (A2E), a Shell Social Investment programme aimed at providing affordable and continuous supply of electricity from renewable sources for communities who live without connection to the electricity grid. Read more He said the global renewables portion in power generation is about four per cent, minus large hydropower.
“Big hydropower is not renewable as it kills so many trees, so it is not considered renewable. When you talk about renewable, solar…to me, hydrogen is far-fetched as the technology is not there and would be highly costly.
“Wind also has its problem – noise pollution, and it takes so much land. The only solution for renewables is nuclear, but the world is not ready for it and most countries shy away from nuclear power,” he said.
He said it is time for the oil and gas industry players to stand up to highlight their importance and contributions.
“People are pretty happy to put on their makeup, nice dresses, shirts and shoes… all that is petroleum.
“We do not talk enough to make people realise that their comfort in life comes from us. I do not disagree that we polluted the world. We did a bad job in the past, but today, we are doing much better.
“Decarbonisation is what everyone is working on.”
Another panellist, Shell Malaysia Transformation and Energy Transition General Manager Dr Patricia Seevam, stressed that the climate change issue is not a challenge faced solely by the oil and gas industry.
“It also involves the government, policymakers, tech companies…these are the quarters that complete the puzzle.
“The government makes policies, but who are the ones who put them there? The people. Is everyone ready for the change? Are the people prepared for the energy transition? We should not look at it as ‘us versus them’, but it is all of us in it together. We, the community, are a major part of the answer,” she said.
Schlumberger Managing Director (East Asia) Meng Keong Lee, another speaker during the session, said it is time for all stakeholders to collaborate.
“You are not alone, and many companies struggle to know what to do. Let us get together, discuss it, and do it together.”
Another panellist, Petra Energy Berhad Executive Director cum Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Anthony Bujang, said oil and gas-related companies need to accept the fact that “we cannot pivot the organisation overnight, but we will show intent.”
“And we show intent by what we do and what we are going to do.”
To this end, he suggested that companies work on blueprints to focus on areas that are material to them in the next three to five years, for instance.
“Take baby steps, and do not be paralysed by the millions of challenges or issues you face. In everything that we do, governance is essential.
“If we cannot maintain a positive economic performance of the organisation, how can we talk about climate change?
“We need to survive before we can address that,” he said.
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