Last week, I issued a press statement expressing my concerns about the setting-up of the JinkoSolar plant in Prai.
Contrary to what Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his Political Secretary Wong Hon Wai claimed yesterday, I only raised the following issues:
That BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters and AFP had reported of Chinese protests at Zhejiang against JinkoSolar Technology because of the pollution the plant caused there.
Whether Lim could guarantee the safety of residents near the plant in Prai once operational.
The reason behind the hushed manner in which JinkoSolar entered Prai Industrial estate in view of its USD100 million investment.
Yesterday the chief minister said, “You know where Huan is coming from. I do not want to waste time with someone not worthy of a response.” He however, went on to defend JinkoSolar.
He said, “It’s about renewable energy, not nuclear energy. We can’t equate nuclear energy with solar energy.”
Lim has missed the point completely.
My previous statement was not an academic debate about solar or nuclear energy but raised concerns about the hazards of positioning a photovoltaic plant so near the sea in the absence of official and concrete assurances of safety measures.
Secondly, statements by Lim and Wong which contain no technical information whatsoever, reveal their ignorance about the hazards of photovoltaic production and some of the common harmful chemicals involved in crystalline PV cell manufacture.
Crystalline silicon which results in waste silicon tetrachloride that is toxic sulphur hexafluoride, for cleaning the reactor used in silicon production, is a very potent greenhouse gas which reacts with silicon to create other compounds.
Some kinds of PV panels contain cadmium, which is an extremely toxic metal. In the form of cadmium telluride (CdTe), it is a stable non-metallic substance but insoluble in water. Cadmium is essentially a waste product, as it is only collected as a by-product of zinc mining and manufacture and must be disposed of whether used in PV modules or not. (Source: here)
All I am asking for is disclosure of the safety measures, certification details, contingencies if industrial accidents or disaster were to happen and reassurances that all will be well for Prai residents and the environment. Is that too much to handle?
Where is the disclosure of such details? What happened to your CAT (Competency, Accountability, Transparency) policy? From the 28th floor of Komtar, you can clearly see Bukit Botak yet Lim only took action after a public outcry about the clearing of the hillslope.
Yesterday, Lim revealed his maxim for dealing with factories that caused pollution when he said:
JinkoSolar has since “paid the price” for the alleged pollution in China.
“If they do wrong, they must be punished. Once they pay their fines they must move on,” he added.
Life is not as simple as paying fines, moving on, and closing one eye to the impact of pollution on the environment and all of us, Mr Chief Minister.
If it were that simple, explain The Star’s report on how “holidaymakers unknowingly came into contact with raw sewage while swimming at Miami Beach.”
Does this not prove your enforcement is lax?
To set the record right, I certainly did not say he (Lim) “had wrongly given approval to the New York-listed Chinese solar panel manufacturer JinkoSolar to operate in the state” as alleged in his statement yesterday.
Wong also accused me of “making the allegations with the intention to damage the collaboration between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), the Department of Environment (DOE) and the state government’s investment arm, InvestPenang.”
Do you think I am so powerful as to be able to influence the Federal Government? I did not do as you alleged, Wong. On the contrary, since when has the chief minister been working so closely with the Federal Government to acquire all approvals? Disclose all the certifications and permits acquired.
The State Economic Planning Unit, MBPP and experts must conduct an in-depth analysis of the viability of establishing PV solar panel plants and address our safety concerns.
Fishermen, fishing industries and the marine environment will have to bear the burden of any mishap or pollution that occurs as in the case of Zhejiang where large numbers of fish and pigs died and where 31 alleged cases of cancer were reported.
Please remember the fishermen, fishing industries at Pulau Aman, Bukit Tambun etc in the vicinity of the plant, once operational.
Mr Chief Minister, who will bear the external costs of allowing JinkoSolar to operate in Prai near the sea, especially if any mishap were to occur?
Will you?
Huan Cheng Guan is vice-president of Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) and former MP of Batu Kawan.
This post also came out in FMT, Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini and Agenda Daily.
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