L E M B AG A J U R U TE R A M A L AY S I A

KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270) B OA RD OF E NGI NEERS MALAYSIA

THE VOL.91
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2022
INGENIEUR
M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L A Y S I A

GREEN 
ENGINEERING
 ARD 0F ENGINE
BO ER

SM
AL
AYSIA
a ry
G ers
E N GIN E E R I N niv
T H E F U T U RE An

CONGRATULATIONS
TOKOH KEJURUTERAAN
MALAYSIA BEM 2022
BEM Malaysia most pROMINENT
ENGINEERING LEADER 2022

YBHG. TAN SRI DATUK DR. Ir. AHMAD TAJUDDIN BIN ALI
 EDITORIAL BOARD
2021-2022

PRESIDENT EDITORIAL BOARD

Dato’ Seri Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
ADVISOR
BOARD MEMBERS Dato’ Seri Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Redza bin Ghulam Rasool
Dato’ Ir. Nor Hisham bin Mohd Ghazali CHAIRMAN
Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr Mohd Hamdi bin Abd Shukor First Admiral (Rtd) Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Murad bin Omar
First Admiral (Rtd) Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Murad bin Omar
Datuk Ir. Baharin bin Din EDITOR
Datu Ir. Zuraimi bin Haji Sabki Dato’ Ir. Fong Tian Yong
Datuk Ir. Ali Ahmad bin Hj. Hamid
Ir. Zailee bin Dollah
EDITORIAL MEMBERS
Ir. Megat Johari bin Megat Mohd Noor
Prof. Emeritus Ir. Dr K S Kannan
Ir. Sundraraj a/l A. Krishnasamy
Ir. Prem Kumar
Ir. Ong Ching Loon
Prof. Ir. Dr Norlida binti Buniyamin
Ir. Fam Yew Hin
Ir. Mohd Khir bin Muhammad
Ar. Azman bin Md. Hashim
Sr Rogayah binti Yunus

REGISTRAR
Ir. Dr Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin

SECRETARY
Ir. Hamzah bin Hashim

The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia)
and is distributed free to registered Professional Engineers. The statements and opinions expressed in
this publication are those of the writers. BEM invites all engineers and readers to contribute relevant
articles and views to the Publisher.
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1
 INGENIEUR

CONTENTS

4 President’s Message
Announcement
5 Call for Articles
Cover Feature
6 Going Sustainable with
Urban Environment Design
14 Geothermal Energy Potential
in Malaysia
18 Fire Safety in Green
Buildings & Green Fire
Systems
Feature
24 Menara KEN TTDI
71
33 Oil & Gas Industry embraces
Sustainable Development Goals
38 Climate Change and Building
Resilency
Do You Know?
48 Green Engineering
Research & Development
53 KOH and Sea Sand as Green
Catalyst for Biodiesel Production
59 Electrochemical Techniques
to Convert CO2 to Specialty
Chemicals
63

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 24

48
Special Report
63 Offshore Electrical and
Telecommunication Cable
Installation Part 1

Travel Feature
71 Train journey from Hanoi,
Vietnam to Nanning, China

Report 59

74 What Others Say About

Green Engineering

Engineering Nostalgia
79 Sulaiman Road, Kuala
Lumpur, 1963
53 79

3
 INGENIEUR
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Green
Engineering
When the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
announced that it would no longer finance coal-
fired power plants in 2021, it was intended to
speed up the early retirement of coal-fired power
plants and accelerate the transition to low carbon
footprints around the region. Meanwhile, the
International Energy Agency, IEA announced that
investment in Renewable Energy needs to triple by
the end of the decade if the world hopes to fight
climate change and keep volatile energy markets
under control. These are strong messages for
the energy sector to embark on green energy
seriously and strategically to meet environmental
sustainability goals.
In the same vein, the Malaysian Government
has introduced the Malaysian Electricity Supply
Industry 2.0 (MESI 2.0) programme focusing
on the electricity supply industry’s readiness
in facing new challenges with the emergence of
disruptive technologies, especially those involving
renewable energy sources. It serves to encourage
and facilitate the supply of green energy in the
country. Additionally, the Malaysia Renewable
Energy Roadmap (MyRER) launched recently by
the Government aims to achieve the national
aspiration of 31% renewable energy (RE) capacity
by 2025 and 40% by 2035.
The theme of this issue on ‘Green Energy’ is to
reflect upon the roles of the engineering fraternity
in complementing Government and global focus
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in this direction. The article on ‘Going Sustainable
with Urban Environment Design’ showcases
Malaysia’s contribution in green energy in the
formulation and implementation of GBI, MyCREST,
myGHI, pHJKR, GreenRE and Sustainable
INFRASTAR for development projects.
The article on ‘Menara KEN TTDI’ serves to
showcase a shining example of local project
among others that received international awards
on green development such as FIABCI for
sustainable development goal, BCA Singapore
Green Mark Platinum, ASEAN Energy Award as
well as other local awards.
While Malaysia may be well suited for solar
energy for renewable energy, the pursuit for
other potential sources of green energy should
be fully explored. The often over looked potential
of geothermal source is well documented in the
article ‘Geothermal Energy Potential in Malaysia’.
Such energy sources of low capacity such as mini-
hydro plant can come in handy in remote areas
with a small population.
As the call for ESG is getting louder globally
and locally, it is time that practising engineers view
green energy development as the new game of the
future.
Dato’ Seri Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin
Sulaiman
President, BEM
 L E M B AG A J U R U TE R A M A L AY S I A
KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270) BO AR D OF EN G I N EER S M A L AY S IA

THE VOL.90
APRIL-JUNE 2022
INGENIEUR
M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L A Y S I A
The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of
Engineers Malaysia. The following are the themes

ANNOUNCEMENT
for the coming issues.
E N G I N E E RI N G • Vol. 92 Oct-Dec 2022
F R AT E R N I T Y Physical Connectivity
• Vol. 93 Jan-Mar 2023
Smart City
• Vol. 94 April-June 2023
Building Services
• Vol. 95 July-Sept 2023
Biomedical Engineering

Articles and other contributions relevant to the

themes are welcomed, but the decision to publish
rests with the Editorial Board.
Advertising inquiries are also welcomed. Please
Photo courtesy of Cheo Hong Keyong
refer to the BEM advertisement in this issue for the
latest rate card and booking form.

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 INGENIEUR

Going Sustainable with

Urban Environment Design
COVER FEATURE

By Dr Maggie Ooi Chel Gee

Ir. Yam Teong Sian

T
he unprecedented COVID -19 global
pandemic occurred during our time, and we
have yet to see an end to it. Looking at the
bright side, such a crisis helps companies learn
and improve to survive through the pandemic. It
boosts the adaptation of digital capabilities by
engineering companies because working remotely
has become the new norm. The construction field
has also quickly moved forward to incorporate
engineering design tools and embrace the
sustainability concept [1].
“In the darkest times, it’s easiest to imagine
another world,” says the British economist Kate
Raworth [2]. It is perhaps time to rethink the future
of urban design, to break away from the common
perception that urban areas are congested,
hot, polluted, unsafe and stressful. A traditional
human settlement is often well sheltered by
mountains in a basin-like structure, for military
defence, safety, proximity to water, natural
resources and accessibility. When the settlement
gradually developed into an economic hub, it
takes the current urban form that accommodates
a large population density in its centre, with
severe sprawling on the periphery. Both the
natural geographical preference and its later
evolvement render the urban environment prone
to environmental threats, the most noticeable
being the accumulation of heat and air pollutants.
Urban Environment Design
Urban environment design is a progressing field
that incorporates environment-friendly guidelines
and practices. According to the Department of

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 30.0
Urban population
Urban population (% of total population)
25.0 Population in the largest city (% of urban population)
Urban population (106)
20.0
Urban population
keep increases
[line]
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
1960 1970 1980
Figure 1:
Figure 1: The urban population in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur from 1960 to 2020 [4], [5], [6]
Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), urban is defined as
“Gazetted areas with their adjoining built-up areas,
which had a combined population of 10,000 or
more at the time of the Census 2010 or the special
development area that can be identified, which
at least had a population of 10,000 with at least
60% of the population (aged 15 years and above)
involved in non-agricultural activities.” [3] The
urban population in Malaysia is rising rapidly over
the past 30 years and makes up 76% of the total
population as shown in Figure 1. This population is
packed into an area that is only 4.9% of the total
land area in Malaysia [7]. The urban population in
Kuala Lumpur (KL) has stagnated since 2010 but
the total urban population has continued to rise.
The saturation of KL has prompted the sprawling
of urbanisation towards the rural.
A proper urban environment design should
prioritise the comfort of urban dwellers and create
suitable and comfortable living conditions for their
physical and mental health. This means that the
urban environment has to be designed to balance
the three main pillars of sustainability—economy,
society and environment. Unfortunately, the
economy is usually given the heaviest weightage,
followed by society and the environment. It is the
economy that differentiates the urban from the
rest. Even so, the hard truth is that without the
100
76%
80
Urban population (%)
[dotted lines]
60
40
20
Stagnate in
Kuala Lumpur
0
1990 2000 2010 2020
Y
environment, society and economy cannot be
sustained.
An urban environment can only be made to
last if it is able to self-regulate and self-sustain.
The environmental aspects of urban design should
be considered from the inception and the design
stage [8]. Urban design and planning extend from
micro-, macro-, up to meso-scale features and
configurations.
On the Micro-Scale
On the micro-scale, urban design involves the
design layout of the building and within the
building itself. Urban design encompasses land
use management, energy consumption, water
quality, air quality, noise, drainage, transportation
proximity, traffic—the list goes on. Only very basic
factors and requirements are being ingested in
the current environmental impact assessment
by the Department of Environment (DOE) in
Malaysia [9]. The Green Building Index (GBI) and
MyCREST have incorporated energy assessment
and indoor air quality to complement the existing
DOE requirements. The latter has also considered
the entire life cycle of the building from design,
construction and operation, to refurbishment and
7
 INGENIEUR
Rating tools Full name Developing Applicability Launching
body year
GBI [11] Green Building Index PAM, ACEM Non-residential 2010
buildings
MyCREST [12] Malaysia Carbon Reduction JKR, CIDB New Buildings 2013
and Environmental
Sustainability Tool
myGHI [13] Malaysia Green Highway JKR Highways 2016
Index
pHJKR [14] Green road rating system LLM Non-toll roads 2012

Sustainable Sustainable Infrastructure CIDB Infrastructures 2019

INFRASTAR [15] Rating Tool
GreenRE [16] Green Real Estate REHDA Buildings, Townships, 2013
Infrastructures
PAM: Malaysian Institute of Architects; ACEM: Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia; JKR: Public Work
Department; CIDB: Construction Industry Development Board; LLM: Malaysia Highway Authority; REHDA: Real Estate &
Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia

Table 1: Comparison of existing sustainability indices developed for Malaysia

demolition. Sustainability rating tools are also
available for highways (myGHI) and non-toll roads
(pHJKR) to ensure the low carbon footprints on
the environment. CIDB has recently developed
Sustainable INFRASTAR to appraise the design
and construction of most infrastructure projects
such as highways, public transport facilities,
water supply networks, shipyards, airports, waste
management facilities, energy industry, and so on.
However, these rating tools are currently adopted
for accreditation purposes by companies on a
voluntary basis [10]. The application of these
green assessment tools is still uncommon due
to the low acceptability of new technologies
and the accompanying expenditure, until the
GreenRE certification was introduced. It provides
a comprehensive sustainability framework for
buildings, townships and infrastructure and
allows certified projects to apply for Income Tax
Allowances and Incentives under the Green Tax
Incentive Scheme. Such incentive initiatives are
welcomed and encourage stakeholders to seek
certification. More information is provided in Table
1 and its referenced sources.
Industrial Building System (IBS) is an innovative
way to adopt green practices during the design and
construction stages of a building. It can incentivise
the construction industry to prefabricate materials
and minimise on-site works. The associated
environmental implications, including waste,
noise, air and water pollution could be reduced
when the prefabrication activities are executed
in a more controlled off-site environment [17].
Computer-aided design software such as Building
Information Modelling (BIM) and Building Energy
Model (BEM) are useful design tools for new or
retrofitted buildings to achieve code compliance
and green certification. While developers and
estate owners are able to embrace the idea
of sustainable development, it is necessary to
make these green practices, assessment and
design tools mandatory for the stakeholders to
incorporate into the building and infrastructure
project life cycle.
On the Macro-Scale
The macro-scale urban environment is not limited
to hundreds or thousands of square feet of cosy
houses; it is the entire vibrant environment that
is adjacent to them. The current environmental
impact assessment guidelines provided by DOE
Malaysia are limited to the prescribed activities

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 Figure 2: Example of macro-scale urban that are not being collectively assessed
separately, such as housing, industry, forestry,
infrastructures, etc. [18] The assessment is
performed on-site, and mostly before and
during the construction stage. However, the
environmental impact of new construction often
has a prolonged effect that propagates to the
surrounding regions. A typical example is the on-
going continuous construction of multiple high-
rise buildings surrounding existing landed housing
areas as shown in Figure 2.
The environmental impact might not be severe
in the on-going projects but it is collectively felt
by the existing township that is encircled by these
projects. The noise pollution, air quality, airflow,
and availability of sunlight in the existing housing
areas are compromised, aggravating health and
living conditions. Therefore, the environmental
assessment involving the influence and
interaction between different activities has to be
included, especially in rapidly sprawling urban
centres.
These are near ideal conditions but it does not
mean that they are impossible to achieve. There
is an internationally renowned green township in
Malaysia, known as Putrajaya. It has embraced the
Garden City design by reserving 38% of the total
land area for recreational parks, gardens, water
bodies and open space, limiting the composition
of urbanised land cover [19, 20].
Malaysian Urban Indicators Network
(MURNInets), introduced by the Ministry of Federal
Department of Town and Country Planning and the
Ministry of Housing and Local Government, allows
the sustainability assessment of urban areas up
to the local district level, using 39 indicators that
are branched out from 20 themes, six dimensions
and five strategies [21]. However, planners are
given the flexibility to pick the indicators to use
and reject, creating a non-uniform rating among
the same level of localities [22]. The assessment
criteria become suspect when the ratings are
mostly above 80% (sustainable) for the evaluated
local authorities. Due to unfamiliarity with the
importance of sustainability indicators, MURNInets
is little known and poorly accepted [23].
On the Meso-Scale
On the meso-scale, the geological, climate
and weather conditions, such as precipitation,
ventilation rate and water catchment, have to
be taken into account. For example, the Jakarta
conurbation is experiencing rising sea levels and
9
 INGENIEUR

Figure 3: Meso-scale condition of (a) biomass burning condition and hotspot (black dots) in Southeast
Asia in Sept 2015; (b) PM2.5 concentration in Taiwan on 13 Jan 2017 (adapted from Chuang et al.,
2019).

is going to sink by 2050. Hence it is scheduled to

be relocated to East Kalimantan in five years [24].
The decision is worrying a lot of environmentalists
as it will involve cutting down pristine forest areas
and destroying biodiversity.
Urban haze is one of the biggest air pollution
issues in Jakarta. Therefore it is very likely for
the new capital to experience very bad pollution
levels, even if we disregard the active fire burnings
on the Borneo island as seen in Figure 3(a).
In Malaysia, the Greater Kuala Lumpur
conurbation is well sheltered between the
Titiwangsa mountain range and the Central
Range on Sumatra island. The dispersion of the
air mass is constrained by geographical features
and the prolonged effect of transboundary
biomass burning haze from Sumatra [25]. Such
a situation has also occurred in Taiwan. The
heavily industrialised cluster where most coal
power plants are located at the central west side
of the island (Tainan and Kaoshiung), leeward
of the prevailing northeast wind as shown in
Figure 3(b). It is difficult for the polluted air
mass in the region to disperse with the strong
northeast wind and it continues to accumulate
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia : September 19 2019:
in the turbulent wake. It is even possible to be
Malaysia looks to clouds, as smoke haze shrouds
carried to the congested urban area, Taipei city, Kuala Lumpur as the result of forest burning in
in northern Taiwan, under weak northeast wind Indonesia.

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conditions [26]. Therefore, the air quality in
Taiwan is incessantly bad.
The Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)
model is able to show the climatic and weather
conditions of these cities and provide a glimpse
of the significant climate parameters that affect
the living environment of cities [27]. The future
climate conditions, according to the different
Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)
suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), on different levels of
greenhouse gas concentration scenarios, can also
be predicted with the assistance of NWP models.
This can assist urban planners to decide on a more
suitable location for a new townships or understand
the climatic and air quality conditions for the
existing cities, to be better prepared for calamities.
Despite the detrimental meso-effects on the urban
region, there is no existing rating tool for this.
Way Forward
Urban environment design is a prospering
field. Along with the Construction Industry
Transformation Plan (CITP) 2016-2020 and
the coming plans, sustainability aspects are
highlighted on sustainability accreditation, CO2
emissions, resilient construction, and solid waste
management [28]. Malaysia has also envisioned
sustainable cities by the year 2030 by launching
the Kuala Lumpur Low Carbon Society Blueprint
2030 as well as the Roadmap towards Zero
Single-use Plastic in 2030. More guidelines will
be rolled out while more projects are targeted to
meet the sustainability ratings. Nevertheless, the
criteria for the green rating tools in Malaysia are
still comparably simple to meet compared to the
UK, US and Singapore standards. It is, therefore,
necessary to improve the rating criteria along the
way to address the unique and diverse problems
faced by each city. The interaction of weather and
human activities is mutual. Here, we talked about
the implication of urban areas on the environment,
but the climate has been long known to determine
past human civilisations. The food for thought
is whether continuous unplanned urbanisation
will intensify weather extremes such as fire,
thunderstorms and flooding, and in turn threaten
the future livelihood of urban dwellers.
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[24] Business Insider (2019) Indonesia is
spending $33 billion to move its capital from
a sinking city to an island where forests have
been burning. Available online: https://www.
businessinsider.com/indonesia-capital-move-
jakarta-borneo-environmental- concerns-2019
8#:~:text=Indonesia%20is%20spending%20
%2433%20billion,where% 20 fore sts%20
have%20been%20burning&text=Indonesia%20
is%20relocating%20its%20capital, on%20
the%20island%20of%20Borneo. [accessed on
26 Oct 2020]
[26] Chuang M-T, Ooi MCG, Lin N-H, Fu J, Lee C-T,
Wang S-H, Yen M-C, Kong SS-K, Huang W-S. 2020.
Study the impact of three Asian industrial regions
on PM2.5 in Taiwan and the process analysis
during transport. Atmos Chem Phys 20: 14947–
14967. doi: 10.5194/acp-20-14947- 2020
[27] Ooi MCG, Chan A, Subramaniam K, Morris
KI, Oozeer MY. 2017. Interaction of urban heating
and local winds during the calm inter-monsoon
seasons in the tropics. J Geophys Res Atmos 122:
1–25. doi: 10.1002/2017JD026690

[25] Oozeer Y, Chan A, Wang J, Reid JS, Salinas S [28] CITP (2020) Construction Industr y
V, Ooi MCG, Morris KI. 2020. The Uncharacteristic Transformation Plan 2016–2020. CIDB Malaysia.
Occurrence of the June 2013 Biomass-Burning Available online: http://www.citp.my/ [accessed
Haze Event in Southeast Asia: Effects of the on 26 Oct 2020]

Come and participate in

11th Malaysian Road Conference & Exhibition 2022
and
International Road Federation Asia-Pacific
Regional Congress
“TOWARDS RESILIENT ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE”
11-13 OCTOBER 2022
WORLD TRADE CENTRE
KUALA LUMPUR
Official opening by Prime Minister of Malaysia
https://11mrc.com

13
 INGENIEUR

Geothermal Energy
Potential in Malaysia
COVER FEATURE

By Fredolin Javino, Meteorological Department Malaysia (MET Malaysia)

Note: This article were partially presented by the

author, at the Stanford University Programme,
San Francisco, California, USA in 2016

I
n Peninsular Malaysia, there are at least 51
thermal spring sites (see Figure 1) in granitic
systems, that have been recognised and
about 23 of these were selected by the author
(in the years 2009 and 2010) in collaboration
with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Research) Branch
(TNB), for studies on their sub-surface reservoir
temperatures, using data collected since 1980s
by the Department of Minerals and Geoscience
Malaysia (JMG).
The range of reservoir temperatures for the
selected thermal springs was calculated and it was
found that the reservoir temperatures ranged from
105.3o C-154.2o C (using the T-quartz method),
127.3oC-199.7oC (using the T Na/K method) and
115 o C-208 o C (using the T Na-K-Ca method).
Estimations of reservoir temperatures however,
using the T-Chalcedony method are generally Figure 1: Location map of all thermal springs in
low and do not truly reflect the temperature Peninsular Malaysia (compiled from previous
geothermal systems. This is probably due to works).
dilution during the ascent of the geothermal fluids.
Therefore, the T-quartz method was used, together
with cation geothermometers to more accurately for geothermal resource potential, included areas
estimate the reservoir temperatures. The findings such as Segaria-Sungai Jipun-Gunung Pock. Based
of the reservoir temperatures are encouraging on a preliminary calculation, this has a minimum
and warrant further geothermic investigation; capacity of 40.25MWe.
however, drilling is needed to confirm the exact
temperatures.
In the Sabah region, based on a survey in the PENINSULAR MALAYSIA REGION
Apas Kiri area in Tawau, which was conducted by
the author during the years 2001 to 2009, the Ulu Slim Area
estimated geothermal resource potential was 67
MWe (one million watts of energy) and after further The geothermal survey at Ulu Slim (see Figure
detailed studies done by Tawau Green Energy Sdn 2), Perak was conducted in collaboration with
Bhd (TGESB), the potential was recalculated to SEDA Malaysia and JMG from January 2014 until
be 85MWe. Another area surveyed by the author April 2016. Based on the survey, the estimated

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 Figure 3: Conceptual model for geothermal
resources in granitic systems.
Figure 2: Potential Resource in Peninsular
Malaysia. Source of base map: Google
Maps

preliminary resource potential of the area was

148 MWe. There are remaining sites (hot springs)
in Peninsular Malaysia that need to be further
explored such as Lojing (Kelantan), Ulu Langat and
Batang Kali (Selangor) and Sungai Denak (Perak)
to determine their geothermal potential (Javino,
2010; Work done by JMG for TNB-Research
Branch).
The information on potential reservoir
temperatures gathered from this study by using
previous data (since 1980s) is of high significance Figure 4: An example of general conceptual
and useful, but further detailed studies will have to model for Hulu Slim, Perak and Lojing, Kelantan,
involve more expensive techniques. within a granitic geothermal resources system.

Figure 5: An example of general conceptual model for Hulu Slim, Perak, within
a granitic geothermal resources system.

15
 INGENIEUR

Figure 6: Simplified geological map of the Tawau-Semporna region, Sabah.

Figure 7: A satellite image (Radarsat) showing the location of the Apas Kiri (A1-4,
A5), the relic of volcanic crater in the Gunung Maria, and Sungai Jipun area (J1,
J2), in the Tawau-Semporna region, Sabah, Malaysia.

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 Figure 8: Potential Resource in East Malaysia (Sabah). Source: Google Maps
For granitic systems in Peninsular Malaysia,
the models adopted in Figures 3, 4 and 5 may be
used as general conceptual models for thermal
spring occurrence. The thermal springs were found
mainly within fault planes, and within contact
zones of granite and metasediments.
Based on the preliminary assessments done
for the selected thermal sites in Peninsular
Malaysia, the most promising sites, based on sub-
surface or reservoir temperatures, include areas
in the Hulu Slim, Lojing, Sg. Kelah, Trong, Dusun
Tua, Hulu Tamu and in Lubuk Timah. As for the
Trong area in Taiping and the one in Parit Gerisek,
Johor, further studies need to be carried out to
ascertain the occurrence of seawater intrusion in
the areas.
SABAH REGION
Apas Kiri and adjacent areas in Tawau-
Semporna Peninsula
Based on geothermal surveys carried out in Apas
Kiri, Tawau, (see Figures 6 and 8), conducted
by the author from the year 2001-2009, with
JMG, the area selected was based on young
volcanic rocks, which differed from the granitic
systems in Peninsular Malaysia, the estimated
resource potential was 67Mwe. After a further
detailed study done by Tawau Green Energy
Sdn Bhd (TGESB), it was recalculated to be
85MWe (Barnett, 2010). Previously, TGESB
was developing a 37MW Geothermal Power
Plant under SEDA Malaysia’s Feed in Tariff (FiT)
Scheme, but the operation ceased due to some
constraints. It is learnt that it will be taken over
by other developers.
Other areas surveyed for geothermal potential,
by JMG, included the Segaria - Sungai Jipun
- Gunung Pock area, in Kunak. The area (see
Figure 7), based on preliminary calculations, has
minimum capacity of 40.25MWe (JMG preliminary
calculation, 2014).
Note: The volume of geothermal potential cited in
Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Labuan is based
on preliminary studies. Further exploration is
needed to get more accurate data on the resource
potential.
17
 INGENIEUR
Fire Safety in Green Buildings
& Green Fire Systems
COVER FEATURE
By Ir. Chen Thiam Leong
The advent and proliferation of design elements
in green buildings may impose building, fire
and life safety code issues if not co-ordinated
with fire protection engineers during the early
stages of design. Concerns about the integrity
of fire safety provisions being impacted by
green features or elements is real and requires
continuous monitoring and proactive resolution.
However, as custodians of fire safety, we need
also to contribute to the global sustainability
agenda, by being innovative with existing fire
systems be it in design or products. In line
with such objectives, this article discusses
fire safety issues resulting from external green
influences and the need to be receptive to green
innovations for prevailing fire systems.
T
he objective of fire protection engineers is
to design fire protection systems to achieve
safe life and property protection, in that
order. To venture beyond these two realms will
require a concerted change of mindset.
While we grapple with the marketing hype of
being “Green” (aka sustainability) in everything
we do today, let us be clear that Fire Safety has
always been a sustainable practice! Do you know
that Fire Safety practice easily meets nine out of
the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)?
A simple illustration would be the environmental
impact of automatic fire sprinklers where their
use reduces greenhouse gas emission by 98%,
reduces fire damage by up to 97% and reduces
water usage by upwards of 90%, thereby reducing
water pollution released into the environment (FM
Global Study 2010).
Nonetheless, there is much more that the
fire protection engineering fraternity can and
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should do to contribute to the global sustainability
agenda, without compromising the primary
objectives of life and property protection.
Green Buildings & Fire Systems
Fire protection engineering may not be typically
considered during a green building design
process. Unfortunately, there are possibilities
that a green building design may affect related
fire protection systems or fire/life safety code
requirements. Several examples include fire-
fighting access, extensive use of timber elements,
issues associated with using reclaimed water to
supply fire suppression systems, use of atria to
provide natural light and/or natural ventilation,
and air flushing to maintain indoor air quality by
making use of the installed smoke extraction
system.
Underfloor air-distribution systems and thermal
displacement ventilation strategies are commonly
employed in many sustainable design projects and
may present building code compliance challenges.
Additionally, there are aspects of fire protection
engineering that may be utilised in an integrated
green building approach to support sustainable
design such as timber structures and elements.
Similar challenges can be found in applications of
Building Integrated Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal
Cooling systems, roof greenery and vertical façade
greenery. Designing low-water (water mist or fog
systems) or no-water consumption (dry chemical
or clean agent) fire-suppression systems may be
applicable in some design situations.
Performance-based design approaches may
also be used as a method to meet the intent of
the applicable codes when unique green building
design methods/strategies are employed.
Factory roof structure and automatic fire protection in building system.
Arising from these practices, pertinent
questions that need to be addressed include:
1. Which fire/life safety building code
requirements most often come into conflict
with the application of innovative green
building design elements and why?
2. How can a design team address these
building fire/life safety concerns and
satisfy local building and fire authority
requirements while incorporating desired
sustainable design elements into a project?
Regardless, the paramount need is to
ensure the primary objectives of fire protection
engineering are not compromised when adopting
any green design approach.
Prescriptive Code Compliance Process
Designers, builders, and other stakeholders
and practitioners in the built environment face
the challenge of providing sustainable design
elements while at the same time meeting building
and fire code requirements.
Sustainable design building elements,
materials or methods of construction may face
questions and concerns from local building
and fire authorities. Design teams may need
to demonstrate to the fire authority how these
innovative sustainable design elements comply
with the prescribed code requirements or comply
with the intent of the code provisions.
At the onset of a green project development,
designers are often confronted with the challenge
of answering the following questions:
1. What are the sustainable design elements
that can be shown to be in strict compliance
with the prescribed code provisions?
2. Which are the sustainable design elements
that may not meet the prescribed code
provisions and will have to be proved to be
equivalent?
The key for the design team at this juncture is
to recognise that all construction projects need
to satisfy the building and fire code provisions.
It is also vital to understand that innovative
approaches to building design elements need
to be identified early in the design of a project.
Creative, integrated prescriptive code compliance
can be part of a sustainable design project as long
as the design team discusses code compliance
issues early in the design process.
In essence, prescriptive code compliance
in the design process requires an integrated,
collaborative effort by all the project design
team members including the owner, architect,
M&E engineers, C&S engineers, fire protection
engineers (for performance-based approach),
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 INGENIEUR
façade consultants, interior designers, landscape
consultants and commissioning specialists.
Integrated Design/Code Compliance
Process
Unlike traditional design projects where each
design team member often works independently
in addressing their area of design responsibility,
an integrated design process relies on combining
the strengths of each team member and
their collaboration early in the design process
in order to address the sustainable design
elements for items such as water usage, energy
usage, occupant comfort, public safety/health,
environmental impact, commission ability and
maintainability. The intent is to answer how each
of these elements can be incorporated into a
comprehensive design solution for the building
that meets the prescribed code requirements or
can be shown to meet the intent of the code.
When the prescriptive code approach cannot
handle a new/innovative design element, a
performance-based design approach may be
needed for certain sustainable design elements
of the project. The performance-based design
approach builds upon the integrated design
process to convince the fire authority that the
design element complies with the intent of the
code provisions, fulfils its intended purpose, and is
shown to be at least equivalent in quality, strength,
fire resistance and safety.
Therefore, the performance-based design
approach again requires the “blending” of design
team disciplines. This integrated design process is
critical for sustainable design projects and is often
conducted in periodic “design charrette” meetings
among the team members. In a design charrette,
the collective expertise of the project team is
brought together to identify areas of overlap and
synergy among the various design disciplines to
develop solutions to building efficiencies, including
water usage, energy usage, occupant comfort, day
lighting and environmental impact.
Each of these elements can have a practical
impact on meeting code requirements to
“bridge the gap” between the implementation of
sustainable design elements and building/fire
code requirements, and the intent of the code and
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fire-fighting tactics. Fire authority approval of these
innovative materials, systems and assemblies that
are often a part of “building green” is a critical part
of the design process that risks being overlooked.
Examples of Green/Sustainable
Strategies
Wet Fire-Suppression Systems
In green designs, rainwater and reclaimed water
may be used to supply not only irrigation systems,
but also wet fire systems. Industrial sites often
have non potable water supplies contributing to
a fire-water supply system, but for the most part,
residential and commercial urban developments
have potable fire-water supplies. When reclaimed
water interfaces with potable systems and is
proposed as part of a fire-water supply system,
back flow requirements need to be reviewed
carefully. In addition, there may be sprinkler pipe
drop requirements that need to be considered to
protect the sprinkler systems against sediment
build up in their pipes.
Potential pipe corrosion will need to be
evaluated. Microbiological influenced corrosion
may be an issue with the use of reclaimed water
supplies. Where present, such corrosion can
reduce a wet fire system pipe’s life and require
chemical treatment to remediate. Hence, it may
not make sense to use reclaimed water as part
of a fire-suppression system if chemicals must be
added to the system or if a premature failure of
the wet fire system could occur because of poor
water quality.
Water mist systems score well in green building
designs as an element of fire suppression. In
some cases, water mist use is not the result of
a desire to conserve water but of working with
the available water supply, especially in adaptive-
reuse (including heritage) buildings.
Gravity Feed for Wet Fire Systems
Use of gravity feed in lieu of mechanical
pumping systems for wet fire systems serving
high-rise, super tall and mega tall buildings
are excellent sustainable design solutions
that reduce resources and save on energy
Interior of modern building atrium.
use. Such applications for sprinkler systems
and wet riser systems have become well
established in recent years and are excellent
contributions to the global sustainability
agenda without incurring any fire safet y
concerns.
Atria - Natural Lighting & Natural Ventilation
In green buildings, atria are a common method
of allowing natural light and air-distribution,
sometimes in conjunction with natural ventilation,
to assist the air-distribution system in overcoming
the stack effect. Smoke control is often required
when an atrium is planned. Also, atria generally
are required to be served by sprinkler systems
that are separate from the remainder of the floors.
Other fire-protection issues, such as an atrium’s
size and arrangement, including the location
of walking surfaces and exit paths, need to be
discussed early in a design process. These issues,
in conjunction with design fire size, will affect a
smoke-control ventilation system.
Supply and exhaust air requirements also need
to be established. These determine the amount
of equipment required and the size of the airshaft
serving the space. Supply air velocity is important in
smoke-control systems as it affects grill sizing and
location. These issues are best determined early
in the design process for space requirements and
power consumption (normal and emergency) to be
established for smoke-control system equipment.
Natural ventilation is sometimes used to
supplement or provide supply air to an atrium,
both normal and in smoke-control mode. In the
event natural ventilation is used, the wind effect
may need to be addressed, in the design of a
smoke-control system. In some cases, natural
ventilation and the stack effect may be suitable to
ventilate an atrium during normal conditions and
during a fire.
A popular approach in sustainable design is
harvesting the use of natural light. Natural light
may be brought to a building’s interior through the
use of skylights, light tubes, light wells, and atria.
A light well is a shaft located in an interior area
of a building, with windows located in the shaft to
allow light to filter from the roof level to interior
areas. Light wells designed to bring natural light
through a building to lower levels may impact
21
 INGENIEUR
Facade of solar panels.
horizontal fire compartmentation. Light pipes (a
variant of light wells) have similar concerns. These
design elements may impose building, fire and
life safety code issues if not co-ordinated with
fire protection engineers during the early stages
of design because they can conflict with building
code requirements.
Active Façade System
One of the earliest active façade systems was
implemented in Malaysia (circa 1999) for a six-
star Energy Efficient building. The fire safety and
fire protection considerations adopted, included
stringent compliance with vertical fire barriers for
the inner façade, down to the detail of requiring the
sunshade blinds to be automatically fully raised
in the event of a fire alarm so as to enable visual
identification of the fire floor from the exterior. The
effect of the active air space acting as a vertical
fire flue also needs to be addressed.
Meanwhile, recent proliferation of green
buildings has witnessed the exponential use
of double and triple glazed facades which pose
challenges for the provision of ‘breakable glass’ at
regular intervals mandated by certain jurisdictions.
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Underfloor Air-distribution & Thermal
Displacement Ventilation strategy
Underfloor Air-Distribution (UFAD) systems have
become a common element in green building
design. The concept utilises the under-floor plenum
for supply air-distribution and the space above the
ceiling as a return air plenum. Several code issues
may need to be addressed when a UFAD system
is proposed. The under-floor plenum is normally
used for power and data cable distribution.
In a plenum space, power cables need to
conform to electrical code requirements and
be installed within electrical conduit/raceway
enclosures, while data cables not installed in
conduit/raceways need to be plenum-rated and
comply with electrical code requirements. There
can be issues regarding connections between
power and data cables which are under and above
a floor.
Depending on the floor plenum height, smoke
detection may be required. When smoke detectors
are installed within the floor plenum, they should
be installed correctly below a soffit of raised floor
panels and not resting on the floor bed. They must
also be made accessible for periodic testing and
maintenance.
 Similar fire impact considerations, albeit of
lesser complication also applies to the application
of the Thermal Displacement Ventilation (TDV)
strategy.
Green Building Rating Systems
Global Green Building rating systems, including
the Green Building Index (GBI) rating system of
Malaysia, offer direct and indirect green credit
points allocated for sustainable fire design
elements.
For the GBI Non-Residential tool, direct credit
points are awarded for:
1. MR7 – Refrigerants and Clean Agents (two
points) for the use of natural refrigerants
and natural gas clean agents.
2. IN1 – Innovation for recycling all fire system
water during regular testing (one point)
Whereas indirect credit points can be found
under the criteria impacting material reuse and
recycling, and reduction in potable water use.
Conclusion
With the increasing frequency of climate change
impacts being felt, the global acceleration towards
a sustainable built environment is inevitable for
our future existence. Meanwhile, as custodians
of fire safety, we can and should play our part in
contributing to the global sustainability agenda.
Hopefully, the deliberations in this article have
demonstrated how the fire safety community can
work together to adopt innovative and green fire
designs that need not and do not compromise fire
safety.
REFERENCE
Ronald J Mahlman, P.E.- Rolf Jensen & Associates.
Role and Challenges of the Fire Engineer in Green
Building Design
Primetech Engineers Sdn Bhd. Gravity Feed Wet
Fire Design
23
 INGENIEUR

Menara KEN TTDI

By Ir. Sam Tan Chek Siong
Managing Director, KEN Holdings Berhad

W
FEATURE

e live in a world where simply being

‘aware’ of environmental issues is not
enough. Being a property developer,
we are in a position of great privilege and
responsibility. In our business of building homes
and offices, we make important decisions on the
operating conditions of these dwellings, as well as
their sustainability in our natural environment. And
in the course of doing so, we have come across
great technological advances in sustainable
solutions.
KEN had been built on the foundation of
engineering expertise and credible properties
and over the years gained a reputation as a
green developer for its continued commitments
to sustainable development. With the cumulation
of decades of hands-on engineering experience
and ingenuity, we have developed the multiple
platinum award-winning green building: Menara
KEN TTDI.

MENARA KEN TTDI Figure 1: Menara KEN TTDI

Menara KEN TTDI is a 13-storey commercial

building strategically located in Taman Tun
Dr Ismail. Designed to be a premier green
development, Menara KEN TTDI succeeds in
incorporating energy-saving technology into all
aspects of the building. With a design aimed at
maximising natural light, with features such as
the zoned air-conditioning system, the structure
focuses on energy-efficient work and recreational
spaces to achieve work-life balance. At the heart
of its design is space efficiency; the tower features
column-free office suites and rooftop recreational
facilities such as a gymnasium, swimming pool Figure 2: The Offices, Platinum Rated Green Co-
and a sky bar. Menara KEN TTDI also has food and Working Office
beverage outlets, ballroom and function spaces, a
performing arts theatre and an art gallery.

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THE CO-WORKING OFFICE
Menara KEN TTDI has co-working spaces called
The Offices. The Offices is a platinum-rated
green co-working office consisting of hot desk,
fixed desk, private offices and corporate offices
suitable for start-ups, freelancers, entrepreneurs
and established enterprises. It has won the BCA
Green Mark Platinum Award for Occupant-Centric
Schemes (Overseas), the highest rating achievable
for this category which besides assessing green-
related requirements, also evaluates the office
environment, workplace health and well-being.
corporate meetings, seminars, conferences and
private events. Through The Platform, we hope to
bring the community, theatre lovers and the youth
of our country together for intellectual engagement
and enlightenment.
The Space is a 30,000 sq. ft premier and
versatile event venue which includes a column-free
ballroom and function rooms that can be custom
designed to host all kinds of events including
product launches, seminars, conferences,
corporate events and private functions.
THE ART GALLERY

THE EVENT SPACES
The Platform is a fully-integrated performing
arts centre comprising a 523-seat theatre and
is suitable for large-scale musicals, concerts,
KEN Gallery, spanning about 20,000 sq ft, houses
a permanent exhibition of the Group Executive
Chairman, Dato’ Kenny Tan’s private collection of a
selection of some of Malaysia’s most talented and
prominent artists. There is also porcelain exhibited

Menara KEN TTDI has garnered the prestigious FIABCI - Malaysia Property Award 2021:
Office Category, FIABCI - Malaysia Property Award 2019: Sustainable Development
Category, BCA Green Mark Platinum, USGBC LEED Platinum, GreenRE Platinum, BCA
Green Mark Platinum for Occupant-Centric Schemes (Overseas), EdgeProp Malaysia’s
Best Managed & Sustainable Property Awards 2020 - Gold Award for Below 10 Years Non-
Strata Office Category, Asean Energy Award, National Energy Award and IEM Outstanding
Engineering Achievement Award. The building is also being awarded the MSC Malaysia
Cybercentre Status by MSC Malaysia which provides 10 years of tax privileges for qualified
businesses. The building is a testament to KEN’s commitment to sustainable building
philosophies and its dedication to innovation and detail.

Figure 3: Menara KEN TTDI Awards

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 INGENIEUR

Figure 4: The Platform, a 523-seat fully Figure 5: The Space

integrated performing arts centre @ Level 2

Figure 6: The Space – Glass Space & Ballroom Figure 7: The Space, KL’s Premier, Versatile
Space

Figure 8: KEN Gallery, an art gallery in Menara KEN TTDI

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at The Trail, which is laid out as a long corridor
of built-in display cabinets that face a panoramic
view of the neighbourhood. Another section, called
the Oriental Pavilion, is made to resemble a living
room with antique furniture and walls of brush
paintings. The gallery is freely open to the public.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN OF MENARA
KEN TTDI
Menara KEN TTDI was built to create platinum-
grade office and event space with good amenities,
features, safety, and high green ratings and also to
provide a sustainable lifestyle for people befitting
their needs – to work, play and live comfortably
yet safely in one place in an environmentally
sustainable manner.
The design and fit out of the building prioritise
energy efficiency and integrated green features.
The building was innovatively designed by
maximising the use of space, incorporating
aesthetically pleasing and fully functional features:
a full glass façade building envelope, transparent
atrium skylight to optimise natural daylight
coming into the building, and a 24-hour zoned air-
conditioning system.
Chiller Plant
Chiller (A)
Chilled water pump (B)
Condenser water pump (C)
Cooling tower (D)
System Efficiency (A + B + C + D)
Table 1: Summary table for chiller plant efficiency usage in June 2022
Air-conditioning System Efficiency
System efficiency (A + B + C + D)
Air side efficiency (E)
Air-conditioning System Efficiency
(A + B + C + D + E)
Table 2: System efficiency of the air-conditioning plant including air side equipment: include chillers,
chilled water pumps, condenser water pumps, AHU, FCU and cooling tower
AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM
The one-of-a-kind air-conditioning system in
Menara KEN TTDI is designed to provide tenants
with a 24-hour multi-zoned air-conditioning
system. It allows tenants to control the air-
conditioning within their office space as well as
the temperature. It is suitable for MNCs requiring
long and flexible hours.
It consists of the following features:
● The chiller plant is located on the rooftop
next to the cooling tower.
● A Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system
with a capacity of 3,000 RTh (Refrigerant
Tons Hours).
● Provides 300 RT of cooling capacity during
the day operation for a total of 10 hours.
● The shifting of part of the daytime’s cooling
demand to night-time cooling demand
that allows the chillers to be running at
their most optimal loading condition.
This enhances the chiller plant’s running
efficiency, reducing electrical consumption.
The air-conditioning system in this building is
designed based on the reading factor of 0.673
kW/ton (Water-System 0.554 kW/ton, Air-system
Fan 0.119 kW/ton).
Efficiency (kW/ton)
0.485
0.021
0.028
0.017
0.551
Efficiency (kW/ton)
0.551
0.119
0.670
27
 INGENIEUR
OA-AHU Condition
Design On coil Condition 27º C 100%RH
Design Off coil Condition 13.5º C 100%RH
Condensate from OA-AHU 1.481/hr
FCU Condition
Design On coil Condition 23º C 60%RH
Design Off coil Condition 23º C 60%RH
Condensate from OA-AHU 0.368/hr
Total Condensate 1.849 m3/hr
Condensate recycle to cooling tower from OA-AHU 1.481 m3/hr
Condensate recovery 80%

Table 3: Calculation of 80% recovery from AHU condensate

Figure 9: Average Annual HVAC Efficiency in kW/Ton

Menara KEN TTDI’s air-conditioning is designed This is equivalent to a coefficient of performance

to have a system efficiency (DSE) for a central
chilled water plant of 0.65 kW/RT for peak building
cooling load (more than 500 RT). The efficiency
dropped slightly due to lower usage cooling load in
the building as some of the tenants still work from
home. Nevertheless, the total system efficiency
for Menara KEN TTDI has reached the benchmark
of the BCA Green Mark Super Low Energy (SLE)
certification requirement.
Since the designed cooling capacity is 800
Refrigerant Tons (RT), a combination of Variable
Speed Driven (VSD) 500 RT chillers and a Thermal
Energy Storage system is employed to yield an
optimum chillers’ plant efficiency of 0.55 kW/RT.
(COP = Cooling Capacity, kW/Electrical Input, kW)
of 6.4. Besides specifying for energy-efficient
chillers, variable speed drive inverters are
stipulated for all cooling tower fans, chilled water
pumps and condenser water pumps to optimise
the chillers’ plant running efficiency.
Variable speed drive is an essential component
for the chiller plants as a slight 20% reduction
in speed (i.e. flow rate) can potentially reap up
to 50% savings in energy consumption. The
simulated peak cooling load is 780 RT over the
air-conditioning area of 27,952 m2 which gives
a cooling load density of 98 W/m2. With a gross
floor area (GFA) of 41,389 m2, efforts to minimise

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air-conditioned space are tremendous, with AC/
GFA = 67%. Most of the circulation areas are not
air-conditioned. If GFA is used for calculation, this
translates to 66 W/m2.
To improve the air-conditioned air quality
within the building, Menara KEN TTDI put in
place an instrument that monitors the chilled
water to maintain water plant efficiency in terms
of temperature sensors, flow meter sensors and
power meter.
In a typical mechanically ventilated office
space/room, the air is recycled, and depending
on the efficiency of the means employed to
freshen the air (as well as how much electricity
is used), indoor air quality either improves or
remains stagnant; stagnant air quality will result
in the Sick Building Syndrome. The syndrome is
mainly caused by flaws in the ventilation and air-
conditioning systems, contaminants produced by
out-gassing of some types of building materials,
volatile organic compounds, mould, improper
exhaust ventilation of ozone (as a by-product of
some office machinery), light industrial chemicals
used within the building, or a lack of adequate
fresh-air intake and air filtration.
In Menara KEN TTDI, there is a constant inflow
of fresh air into the building, greatly improving the
indoor air quality within the building.
Apart from that, 80% of the AHU condensate is
recycled by channelling it from the OA-AHU to the
cooling tower.
PASSIVE DESIGN
Menara KEN TTDI was designed using passive
and active design principles which increase the
efficiency of the usage of resources, energy,
water and materials. Passive principles, e.g.
high window-wall ratio, where 100% is wrapping
with double glazed units of glass (SC = 0.21,
Uf = 1.62W/m2K), a glass central atrium skylight
is utilised to achieve optimum energy saving by
tempering interior temperatures and maximising
natural lighting conditions for this building,
resulting in an overall heat transfer through the
building envelope wall of about 39.85W/m2 and
roof of about 0.6 W/m2K which is below the 40.00
W/m2 guideline as required for the BCA Green
Mark Platinum Award.
Figure 10: Corridor of the Office Floors
Besides that, Menara KEN TTDI is built to face
a certain direction, to capitalise on the movement
of the sun. With a glass roof in the middle of the
building, the spaces are well-lit without actually
receiving direct sunlight, making every space
in the building a habitable and functional space
without the need to turn on artificial light during
the daytime.
EXFILTRATION OF COOL AIR FROM AIR-
CONDITIONED SPACES
Another outstanding engineering design in Menara
KEN TTDI is the exfiltration cool air system.
Menara KEN TTDI applies the “bioclimatic” design
principle, which takes into account the local
climate and scientific theories. We have paired the
principle that hot air will rise while the denser cool
air will fall with some fluid mechanics, enabling
the waste air from the offices to be gradually
and naturally extracted because of the different
pressures within the enclosed office suite and the
corridor.
Once the cool air is diffused out into the
corridor, our 1.2m high glass railing acts as a
container to keep the cool air within the corridor
space. The hot air will naturally rise all the way to
the glass top of the central glass atrium, which
acts as a reservoir for the hot air. The hot air
trapped within the central glass atrium reservoir
are mechanically extracted by fans, which will turn
on once the air reaches a certain temperature.
When visitors walk through the corridors, it
is comfortably cool without the need for air-
conditioning in the corridors.
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 11: View from under sky roof to level 2
This ensures that there is a constant change of
air, to maintain good indoor air quality (IAQ) within
the building. The IAQ is one of KEN’s concerns as it
affects the health factor of the building occupants.
Hence, an IAQ test with reference to the Malaysia
Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality
2010 was carried out to identify the potential
sources of indoor air contaminants and to assess
the exposure of the indoor occupants to any
health risks. Air temperature, relative humidity,
air movement and the adequacy of mechanical
ventilation are monitored. In general, the overall
IAQ condition within monitored locations can be
considered “Satisfactory”.
Apart from that, according to the Thermal
Comfort Tool for ASHRAE-55 as shown in Figure
12, the indoor temperature is 23ºC and the design
relative humidity is 60%. This shows that Menara
KEN TTDI complies with the standard. To achieve
the desired thermal comfort level, the Outdoor Air
Handling Unit delivers pre-cooled fresh air into the
respective spaces of the building minus the heat
load and the desired air speed through the Fan
Coil Units.

Figure 12: Design according to ASHRAE-55

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RENEWABLE ENERGY
137.76kWp with 574 photovoltaic panels have
been installed on the rooftop of Menara KEN
TTDI to harness renewable energy from the
sun, which then feeds the building for self-
consumption, reducing the electricity bill. Total
solar energy generated for the year 2021
contributed 11% electricity savings. Furthermore,
with these photovoltaic panels, energy generation
is renewable, sustainable, and emission-free,
thereby reducing the carbon footprint.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY MONITORING
SYSTEM
Based on the electricity bill for the year 2021, the
overall electricity usage was 1,655,386 kWh.
To gauge the building’s energy performance,
we used the formula to calculate the building’s
energy efficiency and compared the calculation to
the Energy Efficient Index. Based on the Malaysia
Figure 14: Energy Efficiency Management System
Annual Consumption (Kwh/year)
Gross Floor Area (GFA) (m2)
Operating Hour (OH)
Vacancy Rate
Actual operation
EEI KWH/m2/year
Air-Con Area (m2)
EEI KWH/m2/year (AC Area)
Table 4: Energy Efficiency Tabulation
Figure 13: PV Panels at the Rooftop
Green Building Index’s EEI baseline minimum of
less than 150 kWh/m2/year, the building managed
to achieve an efficiency of 65.8 kWh/m2/year,
which is way below the baseline.
Systems are deployed to monitor the efficiency
of the building. Building Automation System
(BAS) is programmed to monitor the building’s
performance and ensures that the facilities
are efficiently and effectively
managed. All systems in
Menara KEN TTDI are monitored
daily by the Energy Efficiency
Management System (EEMS)
which shows the condition of
the chiller plant and the network
diagram. In the chiller plant
room, there is a refrigerant leak
detection system installed to
detect any faults or problems
during the operation of the
chiller plants.
1,655,386
41,389
2,000
0.75
2,400
44.44
27,952
65.8
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 INGENIEUR
EEMS is an Integrated Building Management
System with effective Energy Saving Functions
& Features for the chiller plant. EEMS provides
accurate continuous monitoring with high
precision data and operation for management to
monitor the operation.
OTHER GREEN EFFORTS
Sustainability was the driving consideration
every step of the way from design through to
construction. Other green design technologies
used in the building are:
1. Water leak detection system to detect
unusual water volume consumption. It will
trigger an alarm if it detects unusual meter
readings so that the building management
team can investigate and check the piping
network system and fittings.
2. The water used for landscape irrigation
is from the rainwater harvesting tank
and is distributed using an automated
drip irrigation system with a rain sensor
to provide comprehensive and sufficient
watering to all plants. The irrigation system
runs on a timer to ensure the plants are
watered regularly.
3. Two units of electric vehicle charging
stations are provided to facilitate visitors
who require such facilities.
4. Mechanical ventilation control system
using carbon monoxide (CO sensors) in
the mechanical ventilation and smoke
extraction system are installed in the car
park to improve indoor air quality within the
car park through primary and secondary
filtration media to keep the carbon monoxide
and other fumes levels to a minimum. A
few common areas such as toilets and
staircases within this building use an
efficient mechanical ventilation system.
5. Vertical transportation comes with sleep
mode and regenerative features, effectively
reducing up to 30% of the overall electrical
consumption.
6. 63 car park spaces are equipped with the
car park guidance system and mechanical
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car parking system to assist visitors to
identify available parking spaces and
reduce the traffic congestion of drivers
circling for parking, thus reducing the
emission of carbon monoxide.
7. All water fittings have three ticks of WELS
‘excellent’ rating, to reduce potable water
usage. The water savings are up to 30-40%
compared to normal fittings. These green-
rated water fittings save water usage up to
65% compared to normal fittings.
8. Water sub-meters are provided in major
usage to monitor water consumption.
All the meters are linked to the Building
Automation System and are monitored
regularly.
9. A raised floor system is used in the building
to reduce future maintenance costs. All
M&E services can be easily laid underneath
the raised floor system to go to the
designated point. This can reduce hacking
and redo the finishes on the affected area.
All conduits are concealed in the concrete
to allow penetration of the services.
Menara KEN TTDI is carefully, mindfully and
thoughtfully built with a keen consciousness of its
occupants.
It strives to demonstrate a sensitivity not just
towards its occupants, but to the environment they
live in. Building a building is not merely the laying
of brick upon brick. There is a lot of thought that
goes into the erection of our homes, office spaces,
skyscrapers, public spaces, neighbourhoods,
towns, and cities. The buildings we live in, and
work in, affect our lifestyles.
Buildings not only change the ecosystem of
the community they are in (they are in many ways
the building blocks of our cities) but besides their
function, their form is an important element. Form
and function go hand-in-hand and smart functional
buildings improve lifestyles. Highly-functional
buildings are smart and Menara KEN TTDI has
smart in its DNA: from its double-glazed facade,
orientation, shading, heat insulation, and energy-
efficient cooling systems to the photovoltaic
panels installed to offset energy costs, and
rainwater harvesting tanks and irrigation systems
in place to ensure efficient water usage.
Oil & Gas Industry
embraces Sustainable
Development Goals
By Ir. Abdul Razak Yakob
Ir. Razmahwata Mohamad Razalli
T
he UN Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) set the year 2030 as the deadline
to achieve its 17 goals. The International
Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation
(IPIECA), in collaboration with the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
developed a ‘SDG Roadmap for the oil and gas
sector’. The roadmap lists three themes: Climate,
Nature, and People. In the climate theme, the
impact opportunities are policy and partnerships,
innovation, and operations. In the nature
theme, the impact opportunities are resources
management and biodiversity, land, and water
stewardship. In the people theme, the impact
opportunities are governance and transparency,
communities and thriving workforce. All the global
FEATURE
major operators such as BP, ExxonMobil, Repsol,
Shell and Total have pledged their support for
these efforts (Cholteeva, 2022).
The Malaysian oil and gas industry (O&G) is
focusing on SDG 13, that is to “take urgent action
to combat climate change and its impacts”. The
national oil company, PETRONAS has a major
influential role in the O&G industry and intends
to drive a fundamental shift in the way energy is
produced. PETRONAS announced its aspiration
to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as
part of their holistic approach to sustainability that
balances Environmental, Social and Governance
(ESG) considerations across their value chain
(PETRONAS, 2021). This is an encouraging action,
because in Malaysia, all O&G companies look to
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 INGENIEUR
PETRONAS for guidance in their operations, and
the rules and regulations that incorporate ESG
requirements.
‘Net zero carbon emissions’ means achieving
an overall balance between carbon emissions
produced and carbon emissions taken out of the
atmosphere. It means no more carbon can be
added to the atmosphere in any given year than
is taken out.
The question is how can Malaysia’s O&G
industry achieve net zero carbon emission by
2050? We attempt to answer the question by
breaking down the overwhelming net zero goal to
smaller sectors namely: -
1. Legislative and Regulation Setting.
2. Technology Adoption.
3. Alternative Energy Source and Changing
Portfolio.
LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATION SETTING
PETRONAS has been and will continue to be the
leader in managing the petroleum industry in
Malaysia. As a regulator, PETRONAS released the
PETRONAS Procedure Guidelines for Upstream
Activities (PPGUA) which clearly specifies how
each of the foreign and local operators and
contractors in the oil and gas business conduct
their operations. PPGUA is an important regulatory
requirement to ensure safe operations which
includes guidance on how all parties must
consider the environment in their business
decisions. PPGUA can be accessed by PETRONAS
and PETRONAS Arrangement Contractors (PACs)
or a special request can be made accordingly.
As an example of ESG-related requirements,
PPGUA requires all development wells that
are drilled and produced be plugged and
abandoned according to the regulations to
ensure that the environment can be restored to
its pre-development condition as far as possible.
This is to make sure there is no possibility of
hydrocarbons leaking into the environment.
Another example of PETRONAS as a regulator is
monitoring how much flaring (a process of burning
the residue hydrocarbon for operation’s safety)
can be allowed into the atmosphere. All oil and
gas operators must balance their production
volume with their capacity to flare. PETRONAS has
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been the regulator since its establishment and
partnership with other major operators, making it
a respectable organisation globally.
On a national level, Malaysia aims to establish
itself as a regional Carbon Capture and Storage
(CCS) hub and plans to offer CO2 storage in
depleted offshore reservoirs for projects and
clients outside the nation.
PETRONAS’ Malaysia Petroleum Management
(MPM) has identified upwards of an estimated
46 trillion ft3 of potential carbon storage capacity
across 16 of Malaysia’s depleted fields, which
is more than sufficient for the nation’s forecast
upstream CO2 emissions.
Around 60% of this storage capacity will be
allocated to Malaysia for PETRONAS and its
partners, while the remaining 40% will be made
available to other users, according to MPM senior
vice president Mohamed Firouz Asnan (Battersby,
February 18, 2022).
However, legislation needs to be drawn up for
Malaysia to realise its lofty CCS ambitions. Some
of the assets on offer in Malaysia Bid Round 2022
contained identified CCS sites, but these sites
will remain as PETRONAS owned assets, and are
not available for use by the companies awarded
acreage.
As of now, there are no specific regulations
governing the potential use of such CCS sites and
each proposal, which could form part of a future
field development plan, has to be negotiated on a
case-by-case basis between PETRONAS and the
operator involved.
“From a regulatory point of view, CCS is
considered as part of petroleum operations
in upstream activities and will be regulated by
PETRONAS. The existing guidelines are being
enhanced to include additional scope for CCS,”
explained Jazlan Zulhaimi, manager of PETRONAS
carbon management unit. (Battersby, April 14, 2022)
PETRONAS is an endorser of the Zero Routine
Flaring (ZRF) initiative, led by The World Bank. The
ZRF initiative was launched in 2015 and commits
Governments and oil companies to end routine
flaring by no later than 2030.
Gas flaring is a 160-year-old industry practice
of wastefully burning, rather than using or
conserving, associated gas, which is a by-product
of oil production. The ZRF initiative is designed to
facilitate co-operation between all stakeholders
Figure 1: A simulation model developed in Aspen HYSYS for the modelling of a low-pressure
condensate recovery system
so that solutions for ending routine gas flaring can
be identified and implemented.
Endorsing Governments and oil companies
have committed to annually reporting their flaring
activities and their progress towards meeting the
goals of the ZRF initiative. (World Bank, 2022)
Oil and Gas Service and Equipment Companies
(OGSE) have upgraded their policies to embrace
SDG Goal 13 as part of good business practice.
For example, Wood has a commitment to reducing
their carbon emissions by 40% (Wood, 2022). Aker
Solutions is transparent about their sustainability
efforts (Aker, 2022). ERM (Environmental Resource
Management) has established a Sustainability
Institute, which is the primary platform for
thought leadership on sustainability. The purpose
of the Institute is to define, accelerate and
scale sustainability performance by developing
actionable insights for business. It provides an
independent and authoritative voice in decoding
complexities. The Institute identifies innovative
solutions to global sustainability challenges built
on ERM’s experience, expertise, and commitment
to transformational change. (ERM, 2022)
TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
The Kasawari CCS initiative stands out as one
of Malaysia’s investments to achieve net zero
emissions and is said to be the largest offshore
CCS project. Between 3.7 million and 4 million
tonnes of CO2 are expected to be captured from
Kasawari annually with a total of 76 million
tonnes being recovered over the project’s lifespan
(Upstream, 2022). This is the equivalent of the
CO2 output of 10 natural fire plants per year (EPA,
2022).
PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) of
Thailand and its partners Kufpec of Kuwait and
Petronas Carigali are already advancing Malaysia’s
second offshore CCS project — Lang Lebah —
which will remove high concentrations of hydrogen
sulphide as well as CO2 (Upstream, 2022).
Engineering companies are also heavily
investing in designing net zero CO2 or adjacent
technologies, following current corporate initiatives
such as reducing flaring in line with the ZRF
initiative. They conduct research in commercially
attractive systems that can recover sellable
hydrocarbons. Figure 1 shows a simulation model
developed in Aspen HYSYS for the modelling
of a low-pressure condensate recovery system
(LP-CRS), which makes use of a turbo-expander
and a Joule Thomson valve, to maximise the
recovery of condensate at low temperatures.
However, the low operating temperature may
lead to hydrate formations. An inhibitor such as
methanol or glycol injection is commonly used to
prevent the formation of hydrates. However, the
35
 INGENIEUR
Figure 2: Forecast world energy demand - PETRONAS, 2021
methanol content should be kept at its minimum
level, as it incurs additional cost to the system.
Simulation-optimisation work has shown that for
an associated gas of 8.0 MMSCFD, the recovery of
its condensate is as high as 367.8 bbl/day, which
resulted in 39,000 t/y of CO2 reduction. (Liew, Z.
K., Foo, D. C. Y. and Ooi, M. B. L. (2021))
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES AND
CHANGING PORTFOLIO
Trevor Klez, a highly respected author on the topic
of chemical engineering safety is quoted as having
said “What you don’t have, can’t leak” (Kletz, T. A.,
1978). Therefore, if you remove the source of CO2
emissions, i.e., hydrocarbons as an energy and
feed source, then you would not need to address
removal of emission itself. To this aim, the oil and
gas industry is pivoting towards alternative energy
sources.
In line with this, the Malaysian Government
has targeted that by 2025, 20% of the electricity
generated in the country must be from renewable
sources. Currently Malaysia is only at the 2%
level. Therefore, all parties must work together
to achieve this target including the oil and gas
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industry. The world will still depend on fossil fuel
as seen in Figure 2. Globally, even though the
renewable energy capability to meet the world
energy demand will increase by 5% from 2019 to
2030, fossil fuel will still be the major category
source of energy generation.
One of the ways to achieve this is to build
capability and expertise in renewable energy to
ensure Malaysia has a sustainable development
in this area. For example, in 2019 PETRONAS
New Energy offers a wide-variety of affordable
and customer-centric solar energy solutions,
to ensure customers receive a reliable supply
of clean energy. These solutions include on-
site rooftop solar, off-site solar, battery storage,
hybrid solutions and advanced analytics energy
monitoring solutions. PETRONAS acquired Amplus
Energy Solutions Pte Ltd, a leader in solar energy
solutions and developer in India to ensure it has
the capability and expertise in developing larger
sectors provisions of solar energy. PETRONAS
is also exploring opportunities in wind energy
generation around the region, with targeted
generation of 3 GW of renewable energy capacity
by 2024.
On the road to a step change towards net
zero CO 2 emissions, practical solutions are
being implemented. On this theme, PETRONAS
is increasing its efforts to optimise natural gas
utilisation as a cleaner source of fuel in energy
transition.
Just like any other industry in Malaysia, the
O&G sector is embracing sustainability. This is the
only way to ensure our future generations will be
able to live in a similar environment as we do, if
not better. This is not just the Government’s effort,
but all of us, as individuals need to work together
to achieve these goals. The oil and gas industry
has been identified as the biggest contributor of
global emission based on research conducted by
McKinsey & Company, “directly and indirectly, the
oil and gas industry accounts for 42% of global
emissions” (Beck et. al., 2020]. The oil and gas
industry is also the industry that has shown the
most effort in embracing the SDGs.
About the Authors
Ir. Abdul Razak Yakob has been in the oil and
gas industry for more than 25 years. He is an
engineering consultant and one of the directors
of IGL Services. He is a Vice President of the
Institution of Engineers, Malaysia, and the Chief
Editor for the IEM’s publications.
Ir. Razmahwata Mohamad Razalli is the founder
of IGL Services. With 27 years of experience
in the upstream and downstream of process
safety, measurement and allocation, process
engineering, offshore technical support, and a
training provider, he is one of the local experts in
this area. He is also a Council Member of the IEM.
REFERENCE
Aker Solutions (2022). Sustainability at Aker
Solutions. Available at: https://www.akersolutions.
com/sus t ainabilit y/sus t ainabilit y - at- aker-
solutions/ [Accessed: May 5, 2022]
Battersby, A. (2022, April 14). ‘Critical enabler’:
Malaysia has lof ty carbon capture and
storage ambitions. Available at: https://www.
upstreamonline.com/energy-transition/critical-
enabler-malaysia-has-lofty-carbon-capture-and-
storage-ambitions/2-1-1198266 [Accessed: May
4, 2022]
Battersby, A. (2022, February 18). Kasawari CCS
shows hydrocarbons and energy transition not
mutually exclusive. Available at: https://www.
upstreamonline.com/opinion/kasawari- ccs-
shows-hydrocarbons-and-energy-transition-not-
mutually-exclusive/2-1-1168734 [Accessed: May
4, 2022)]
Beck, C., Rashidbeigi, S., Roelofsen, O., and
Speelman, E. (2020). The future is now: How oil
and gas companies can decarbonize. Available
at: ht tp s://w w w.mckinsey.com/~/media/
mckinsey/industries/oil%20and%20gas/our%20
in sig ht s/t he%20 fu ture%20 i s%20 now %20
how%20oil%20and%20gas%20companies%20
can%20decarbonize/the-future-is-now-how-
o il - an d - g a s - c o mp ani e s - c an - d e c ar b o nize.
pdf?shouldIndex=false [Accessed: May 7, 2022]
Cholteeva, Y. (2022, February 14). Oil and gas
majors agree on a roadmap for sustainable
development. Available at: https://www.offshore-
technology.com/news/oil-and-gas-majors-agree-
on-a-roadmap-for-sustainable-development/
[Accessed: May 1, 2022]
EPA (2021), United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
Calculator. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/
energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
[Accessed: May 4, 2022]
ERM (2022), The SustainAbility Institute. Available
at: https://www.sustainability.com/ [Accessed:
May 5, 2022]
Kletz, T. A., “What You Don’t Have, Can’t Leak”,
Chemistry and Industry, pp. 287-292 (May 6,
1978)
Liew, Z. K., Foo, D. C. Y. and Ooi, M. B. L. (2021).
Simulation and Optimisation Studies for a
Condensate Recovery System. Gas Processing &
LNG, Nov/Dec 2021: 21-25.
PETRONAS. (2021). PETRONAS Activity Outlook
2021-2023. Available at: https://www.petronas.
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Outlook-2021-2023.pdf [Accessed: May 1, 2022]
Wood (2022), Sustainability, Available at: https://
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worldbank.org/en/programs/zero-routine-flaring-
by-2030/about [Accessed: May 4, 2022]
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 INGENIEUR

Climate Change and

Building Resilency
By Kuan You Wai
FEATURE

Figure 1: The Human Cost of Disasters (2000-2019): Deadliest Disasters

and Mega-Disasters. (Source: https://reliefweb.int/map/world/human-cost-
disasters-2000-2019-deadliest-disasters-and-mega-disasters-dg-echo-a3)

U
nited Nations Secretary-General special
representative, Mr Mami Mizutori, in his
report, “The Human Costs of Disasters
2000-2019”, said that extreme weather caused
by climate change has resulted in at least
7,348 major disasters between 2000 and
2019, claiming 1.23 million lives, affecting 4.2
billion people, and costing the global economy
USD2.97 trillion. Asian countries like China,
India and Bangladesh were highlighted in the
report for high risk of floods and storms in the
foreseeable future (Climate change triggers
disasters, threatens millions - UN, Deutsche
Welle, Germany, Oct 12, 2020).
Malaysia is a blessed country situated away
from the “Pacific Ring of Fire”—the earthquake
belt—and tropical cyclones. Still, the tail end
of tropical cyclones, with reduced impacts,
hit Malaysia most of the time. Sabah suffered
two direct hits, namely Tropical Storm Greg in
December 1996, and Typhoon Vamei in December
2001, with devastating damages.

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Figure 2: Pacific Tropical Cyclones (Source:
https://www.munichre.com/en/solutions/for-
industry-clients/one-storm.html)
Climate Change and Greenhouse Effects
Global warming caused by greenhouse effects has
silently and gradually brought us more precipitation,
a higher sea level, more intense heat waves and
stronger winds, increasing the frequency and
intensity of natural disasters.
There has been a phenomenal increase in
the average surface temperature of the earth
due to the exponential increase in the release
of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in
the past century. These gases include carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour.
The gases derive primarily from the combustion
of fossil fuel for power generation as well as
agricultural and industrial activities. Greenhouse
gases possess high thermal capacity, which
enable them to retain more heat compared to
other gases, causing an increase in the average
atmospheric temperature.
The consequential impact of global warming on
the built environment and buildings includes more
flash floods due to heavier rainfall, occasional
uplifted roofs due to stronger winds and more
intense thermal stress. Urban heat island effect
and the close proximity of high-rise buildings in
urban areas also cause increased wind velocity.
Figure 3: Heat island effects (Source: https://www.greenroofs.com/2020/01/24/what-can-
we-do-about-the-urban-heat-island-effect/)
Tropical Cyclones in Malaysia
The impact of global warming has been
experienced in our country, particularly in Northern
and Eastern Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, over
the past decade. Strong winds, storms and floods
have been disrupting our society and damaging
our buildings every year, bringing about flash
floods, soil erosion, landslides, falling trees,
injuries and fatalities. Damage to buildings has
been immense. In 2019, the Kuala Lumpur City
Hall had to bear an estimated RM350,000 for
the repair of damaged roofs caused by a storm
in the Desa Rejang Public Housing in Setapak
(The Star Online, May 21, 2020). In the same
year, the Works Minister said in Kuching that the
Federal Government had allocated RM100 million
for repairs of schools damaged by storms, to be
carried out in 2019 (MSN online Sept 27, 2019).
Coupled with the damage suffered from Tropical
Cyclones like Greg and Vamei, and other storms,
the amount for rectification is a burdensome sum
for the Government and the private sector in the
long run.
Drought, Heat Waves, Haze and Wildfires
Drought, haze and wildfires are other disasters
related to climate change in Malaysia. During
a dry Southwest Monsoon season from May to
September 2020, several areas across the country
recorded average temperatures of between 33°C
to 34°C, a few degrees short of a heat wave.
The health impact of heat waves is widely
understood. However, little is known about the
adverse environmental impact on buildings.
39
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INGENIEUR
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ambit of responsibility of the Minister of

Works. Its primary role is to register
CAPACITY
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 4: Direction of the Southwest
Monsoon winds blowing across
Malaysia (MetMalaysia) (Source:
https://www.therakyatpost.
com/2020/08/11/based-on-the-
current-temperature-were-a-few-
degrees-shy-from-a-heatwave/)
Different coefficients of thermal expansion
mean that concrete structures, comprising brick,
concrete components and fenestrations with
metal frames, expand and contract in different
volumes and lengths when exposed to heat. Such
thermal stress causes cracks that break the
waterproofing membranes and moisture barriers,
resulting in the infiltration of rainwater, which
is detrimental to indoor environmental health,
comfort and durability of buildings.
Floods and Rising Ground Water
Widespread devastation was brought about by
the Northeast Monsoon which caused heavy
precipitation with a record high of 360mm rainwater

Figure 5: Heat-induced cracking on the facades and the highest floors with a flat roof

Figure 6: Defects in Masonry Walls Guidance

on Cracking: Identification, Prevention and
Repair, CIB Publication 403, Nov 2014

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 Figure 7: Massive floods in Pahang; Terengganu worsened; slight
improvement in Johor (Source: Bernama Jan 4, 2021)

Figure 8: Water seepage in basement floor due to rising water table

43
 INGENIEUR
within 72 hours on January 3, 2021. Many houses,
bridges, roads and highways in the states of
Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang were submerged.
Excessive water currents caused erosion, landslides,
physical damage and interrupted road traffic.
The floods also softened the soil and threatened
structural integrity, especially in low-rise buildings
with shallow footing or foundation.
Water seepage in the basement floors and walls
has become common because of the rising water
table due to heavier rainfall during the monsoons.
The height of the water table depends on the rainy
season, and hence it causes cyclic wetting and
drying in the damp basement areas. Depending
on the pH and content of the groundwater, the risk
of corrosion at the foundations must be given due
attention. To control the height of groundwater,
curtain grouting at the positive side of the
basement may be necessary, depending on the
assessment of the condition.
“Black water”, full of organic material and
microorganisms is a silent health threat of
biological contamination to buildings and residents
in the flood plains. Wet household materials
in water-damaged homes need to be dried up
rapidly to prevent microbial growth, especially in
organic and fibrous materials. Nevertheless, this
is seldom done due to low awareness of such
health hazards. In the US, statistics indicate
that up to 17% of water-damaged homes suffer
from biological contamination and is regarded
as a public health concern. Such a study has not
been done in Malaysia and low awareness of the
potential health hazard brought about by floods
requires urgent attention from the authorities in
public health.
Resilient Community, Infrastructures and
Buildings
These natural or man-made disasters are
expensive to respond to, but much of the
destruction can be prevented with cost-effective
mitigation features and advance planning. We
need a paradigm shift in building design that can
cater to climate change, to restore the functionality
of the buildings after such disasters.
Retrofitting in the current drainage design
is needed to cater for heavier precipitation.
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Flood management, with more reservoirs for
the temporary catchment of any sudden surge
in rainfall, is needed. Vegetative roofs and
rain harvesting systems can also contribute to
reducing the rapid runoff of rainwater into the
drainage system that may cause flooding. In areas
with a high risk of climate change, education in
emergency preparedness is also needed, including
evacuation from buildings to safer places, storage
of drinking water and food in shelters, and medical
support during the disasters.
In view of the poorly updated building codes
which cannot cope with the impacts of climate
change, some architectural communities in
developed countries have taken proactive
approaches and voluntary actions to address
the damages brought about by climate change
with the concept of building resilience. In the
US in particular, awareness of the importance
of preparedness against natural and manmade
disasters in community disaster management
and resilient building design has received due
attention over the past five years (VanGeem M.,
Defining Resilience, The Interface, International
Institute of Building Enclosures Consultants, p8,
Sept 2019).
According to Alex Wilson, founder of the
Building Green and Resilient Design Institute
(USA), Resilience is “the capacity to adapt to
changing conditions and to maintain or regain
functionality and vitality in the face of stress or
disturbance. It is the capacity to bounce back
after a disturbance or interruption”. Resilient
building design  is the intentional design of
buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions
in response to these vulnerabilities (https://www.
resilientdesign.org/).
Resilient Building Design for Tropical
Malaysia
The resilient level of building design depends on
the hazard analysis of the specific locations. New
design and retrofitting projects are recommended
to be more robust and resilient to stronger wind
and other environmental hazards. Lee S.H. in
his report “Failure of Roof Structure Due to
Wind Load” in April 2008, discovered that in the
existing construction practices of roofs of low-rise
Resilient Design Principles
1. Resilience transcends scales. Strategies to address resilience apply at scales of individual
buildings, communities, and larger regional and ecosystem scales; they also apply at different
time scales—from immediate to long-term.

2. Resilient systems provide for basic human needs. These include potable water, sanitation,
energy, liveable conditions (temperature and humidity), lighting, safe air, occupant health, and
food; these should be equitably distributed.

3. Diverse and redundant systems are inherently more resilient.  More diverse communities,
ecosystems, economies, and social systems are better able to respond to interruptions or
change, making them inherently more resilient. While sometimes in conflict with efficiency
and green building priorities, redundant systems for such needs as electricity, water, and
transportation, improve resilience.

4. Simple, passive, and flexible systems are more resilient. Passive or manual-override systems are
more resilient than complex solutions that can break down and require ongoing maintenance.
Flexible solutions can adapt to changing conditions both in the short and long term.

5. Durability strengthens resilience.  Strategies that increase durability enhance resilience.

Durability involves not only building practices but also building design (beautiful buildings will
be maintained and last longer), infrastructure, and ecosystems.

6. Locally available, renewable, or reclaimed resources are more resilient. Reliance on abundant
local resources, such as solar energy, annually replenished groundwater, and local food
provides greater resilience than dependence on non-renewable resources or resources from
far away.

7. Resilience anticipates interruptions and a dynamic future. Adaptation to a changing climate

with higher temperatures, more intense storms, sea level rise, flooding, drought, and wildfire
is a growing necessity, while non-climate-related natural disasters, such as earthquakes and
solar flares, and anthropogenic actions like terrorism and cyberterrorism, also call for resilient
design. Responding to change is an opportunity for a wide range of system improvements.

8. Find and promote resilience in nature. Natural systems have evolved to achieve resilience; we
can enhance resilience by relying on and applying lessons from nature. Strategies that protect
the natural environment enhance resilience for all living systems.

9. Social equity and community contribute to resilience. Strong, culturally diverse communities in

which people know, respect, and care for each other will fare better during times of stress or
disturbance. Social aspects of resilience can be as important as physical responses.

10. Resilience is not absolute. Recognise that incremental steps can be taken and that total
resilience in the face of all situations is not possible. Implement what is feasible in the short
term and work to achieve greater resilience in stages.

(Source: https://www.resilientdesign.org/the-resilient-design-principles/)

45
 INGENIEUR
Figure 9: BS 5534:2014 Reinforced pitched roof
system (Source: https://www.marley.co.uk/blog/
what-are-the-different-parts-of-a-roof)
buildings, uplifting of the zinc sheeting occurs at
basic wind speed over 89.1 m/s. Uplifting of roofs
occurs in medium-rise buildings at a wind speed
of 42 m/s. Extra tying down mechanism is needed
to increase robustness against such uplifting by
strong winds. For pitched roofs with roof tiles,
British Standard “BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 Slating
and tiling for pitched roofs and vertical cladding.
Code of Practice” specifies a new reinforcement
and clipping system in view of stronger wind due
to climate change.
Open terraces and walkways should be
protected against the ingress of wind-induced
Figure 10: Heat profiles of different building materials in the Tropics
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Figure 11: Typical Control Joint Locations
(Source: Thomaz E., ed al., CIB W023- Wall
Structures, International Council for Research
and Innovation in Building and Construction.
2014. p 32.)
rain. Storm-proof fenestrations with stronger
reinforcement and tolerance for movement caused
by thermal stress must be emphasised. Windows
with sub-frames and curtain walls with stick
systems that do not have any built-in drainage
and tolerance for movement should be avoided.
Besides, lighter colours with higher reflectance
are preferred on the facades and roofs for thermal
comfort as well as crack control.
Cool roofing, with the selection of light colour
single ply membrane and vegetated roofs, are
measures for the prevention of excessive heat
that causes the horizontal volumetric expansion
 Figure 12: Comparative study of temperature on the glass (1), below the glass (2) and on the black
paper under the glass (3)
that cracks the facades. Control joints at the areas
with anticipated cracking are recommended,
according to the “Defects in Masonry Walls
Guidance on Cracking: Identification, Prevention
and Repair” published by the International Council
for Research and Innovation in Building and
Construction.
The use of double-glazed glass should be
limited in the tropics due to the high thermal
capacity of air in the air gap that retains a
comparatively higher level of heat.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The adverse social and economic impacts of
climate change have reached our doorstep. It
is an inevitable fact that the architectural and
engineering community must address the rising
complaints of leakage, durability and performance
issues in the built environment in Malaysia.
Besides the heat and water control
measures mentioned above, building codes with
consideration for flood resistant, storm proof and
crack prevention designs are equally important.
Such contributions must come from the joint effort
of architects and structural engineers.
Although codification efforts on the climate-
resilient design of commercial roofs and wall
assemblies have begun in some developed
countries, awareness among the architectural
community in building resiliency is in its infancy in
Malaysia. More data and research are needed in the
search for feasible ways of building resiliency, taking
into account our unique conditions in the climate,
design and construction practices in Malaysia.
Such resiliency in our communities and
buildings can only be realised if awareness among,
and co-operation from, all stakeholders in the
Government, professional bodies, higher tertiary
education centres, developers, contractors and
the general public are raised.
47
 INGENIEUR
Do You
Know?
Green
Engineering
By Pang Soo Mooi
Malaysia initiative on Green Engineering
The recent Malaysian Government announcement
on its aim to increase green energy or Renewable
Energy (RE) generation to 18,000 megawatts
(MW) by 2035 compared to 8,700MW currently
is one big step forward in promoting green energy
in the country. The one-fold increase would make
RE contribute 40% to the country’s energy supply
in 2035. This initiative will be supplemented with
the programme setting a target of 31% renewable
energy contribution by 2025 through various
green energy generation initiatives, including the
Large Scale Solar (LSS) project.
Besides achieving the sustainability goal by
optimising usage of raw material resources, it
reduces carbon emissions to the environment.
Toronto is home to the world’s largest
lake-powered cooling system. – Tik Root
In Toronto, Canada, Deep Lake Water Cooling
(DLWC) is used to cool over 100 buildings in the
city. It saves enough electricity to power a town of
25,000 and is so popular that the city is pursuing
expansion.
Toronto is home to the World’s largest deep
lake water cooling system.
Conceptually, the technology is relatively
simple. Instead of relying on energy-intensive
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compressors and chillers to dissipate heat from
buildings, DLWC uses water from nearby Lake
Ontario to whisk away the warmth.
The system launched in 2004 with only a
handful of customers in the city, but now cools over
100 downtown buildings, ranging from City Hall and
Toronto Hospital to hotels and even a brewery.
Enwave, the company that owns and operates
Toronto’s DLWC, says the system already saves
90,000 megawatt hours of electricity use annually
- roughly enough to power a town of 25,000. It is so
popular that the city has nearly reached capacity
and recently committed to an extension.
Toronto’s cooling process begins about 3.5
miles south of the city and 280 feet underwater,
in the depths of Lake Ontario where the water
remains cool all year round. The water is first
drawn into the city through three massive pipes,
spaced about half a mile apart.
Once the lake water makes it to the city, the
DLWC system operates via a series of water loops.
There is a loop that moves the lake water; a loop
that moves water within the downtown area; and
loops in each building the system serves. The
water moves itself through these pipes using
relatively little energy.
ASEAN’s Road to Green Economies –
Monika Merdekwati
ASEAN Member States (AMS) have taken various
policy measures in response to Covid-19. There
has been a cohesive approach as a region,
reflected in the AMS Chairman’s Statement of the
36th ASEAN Summit on June 26, 2020.
The statement reaffirms the commitment
made at the Special ASEAN Summit and Special
ASEAN Plus Three Summit (China, Japan, and
South Korea) on April 14, 2020 by establishing the
Covid-19 ASEAN Response Fund. It further focuses
on the improvement of regional connectivity
through the implementation of the Master Plan
on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, which aims
to boost the regional trade network, supply chain
efficiency, human capital, and people mobility.
In the energy sector, the ASEAN Plan of Action
for Energy Co-operation (APAEC) recognised the
need for a clean energy transition and have set an
aspirational renewable target of 23%.
 But the current energy target is not tied to the
regional response to recover from the Covid-19
crisis. What is missing is the acknowledgement
that the clean energy transition is key to enhancing
regional energy security and accessibility in
the time of Covid-19, and is essential to ensure
universal health coverage.
ASEAN’s green power sector relies on
foreign supply chains and investment, making
it vulnerable. As a regional community, ASEAN
should consider nationalising this vital sector.
With several AMS’ initiatives to include
the clean energy transition in their Covid-19
recovery plan, such as the opening of 1GW Large-
Scale Solar (LSS) in Malaysia and invitation for
investment in renewable energy projects under
Covid-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) in Myanmar,
the region has a promising market for domestic
suppliers.
Accordingly, if the investment is extended to
develop regional expertise in renewable energy
for research and development (R&D), installation,
operation, and maintenance, citizens of ASEAN
countries could replace international consultants.
Moreover, ASEAN could invest more in
the manufacturing capability of renewable
energy technology. For example, the existing
manufacturers of some photovoltaic components
in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and
Singapore, could expand their share in the regional
market.
In conclusion, during this recovery period,
ASEAN should aim for broader developmental
strategies, and look beyond reactive measures.
Low-carbon power development could make
future ASEAN economies more resilient, ensuring
the achievement of universal electricity and health
access, and mitigating climate change.
It is time for ASEAN to work together to close
the economic disparity among AMS by enhancing
transparency in business and Governance
systems.
ASEAN to push utilisation of Storage
Technologies – THE ASEAN POST
ASEAN Member States (AMS) need to step up
their game on energy storage development. As the
6th ASEAN Energy Outlook foretells, ASEAN’s Total
Final Energy Consumption (TFEC) is projected to
increase by 38% by 2025 and 146% by 2040,
from 375 mega tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in
2017 to 922Mtoe in 2040.
ASEAN’s top priority in facing this situation
is to supply the growing demand with clean and
sustainable energy. Determinedly, the region has
set the targets of 23% renewable energy share
in Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES), and 35%
share of renewable energy in ASEAN installed
power capacity by 2025. This means that energy
storage is required.
Status Quo
AMS have begun to make efforts to balance
the intermittency issue of renewable energy in
their electric grids by developing energy storage
systems. To date, there are various types of energy
storage technologies around the globe. Amongst
others, pumped hydro storage is the most mature
and largest available commercially.
On the other hand, battery energy storage is
considered as a critical technology in the transition
towards sustainable energy. The declining price
and increasing use of lithium-ion batteries, is
proven by the declining price, especially in electric
vehicles and renewable projects within the region.
Thailand installed two sets of KSTAR
5kW+10kWh energy storage systems (BluE-
5000D) in December 2020. The storage already
provides clean and stable night-time power supply
at the Chumpoll Temple in Ayutthaya Province,
Thailand.
Despite the great potential of the energy
storage system for the region’s transition, these
technologies, are unfortunately not yet broadly
deployed by all AMS.
Policy to push for further development
As renewable energy sources will play a more
prominent role in the region’s sustainable
development, the integration of energy storage
systems in Southeast Asia is imminent. Energy
storage seems to be facilitating the transition
towards clean and sustainable energy, particularly
for islands and rural areas within the region.
In the next three years, the World Bank
forecasts that approximately 10GW storage
capacity might be realised. Although most of
the projected 10GW capacity would probably be
49
 INGENIEUR
contributed by pumped hydro storage, battery
technologies are beginning to make an impact.
But for this to happen, there has to be an energy
storage target as most countries in ASEAN do not
have rules regarding the storage or fundamental
commercial structures to support such emerging
technologies.
ASEAN could learn from Beijing’s policy
initiatives, which as of 2019, the central
China Government has already issued over 10
policy documents. Moreover, of 34 provincial
administrative regions, 17, in addition to 22
municipalities, have issued policies to develop
hydrogen energy storage for industries and
infrastructure.
In addition, the country’s policies are in
the midst of reforming its energy markets,
allowing non-state power providers to enter the
local market, ensuring more opportunities for
independent power producers (IPPs) to supply
ancillary and capacity services with energy storage
systems.
Although several ASEAN countries have already
begun to implement the development of energy
storage at the technical level, specific policies
to encourage further adoption of these storage
systems lag behind. According to the ASEAN
Centre for Energy (ACE) Policy Brief, Enabling
Policies for Promoting Battery Energy Storage in
ASEAN, only a few AMS have related policies.
For instance, Thailand’s Ministry of Energy
presented its ‘Energy 4.0’ strategy by integrating
disruptive energy technologies such as energy
storage systems. This effort is to ensure the
country’s successful transformation towards a low
carbon society.
To accommodate this strategy, in September
2019, the Department of Energy issued a circular
addressing the need for support from the Energy
Regulatory Commission to give cost recovery
mechanisms and outline the responsibilities of
each stakeholder in the power industry and permit
requirements.
Policies provide incentive for developers of
utilities, and investment funds could capitalise
on the opportunities furnished by storage
development. From there, everything will advance.
Furthermore, having understood the massive
potential of renewable projects within the region,
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Governments of ASEAN countries should start
realising energy storage policies ahead for further
development. There are numerous renewable
power plants already, yet few of them are
coupled with energy storage. Policies should be
enacted to embrace this development in order for
sustainability in the region to thrive.
World must triple clean energy
investment by 2030 to curb climate
change – IEA
International Energy Agency (IEA) mentioned
that investment in renewable energy needs
to triple by the end of the decade if the world
hopes to effectively fight climate change and
keep volatile energy markets under control. The
world is not investing enough to meet its future
needs. Transition-related spending is gradually
picking up, but remains far short of what is
required to meet rising demands for energy in a
sustainable way.
Clear signals and direction from policy makers
are essential. If the road ahead is paved only
with good intention, then it will be a bumpy ride
indeed.
The IEA warned that renewables like solar,
wind and hydro-power, along with bioenergy, need
to form a far bigger share in the rebound in energy
investment after the pandemic.
Renewables will account for more than two-
thirds of investment in new power capacity, yet
a sizable gain in coal and oil use has caused
the second largest annual increase in climate
change-causing CO2 emissions. The IEA said a
faster transition will better shield consumers in
the future, because a commodity price shock
would drive up costs for households 30% less in
its ambitious Net Zero Emissions (NZE) by 2050
scenario versus its more conservative Stated
Polices Scenario (STEPS).
Fossil fuels, coal, natural gas and oil made up
nearly 80% of world’s energy supply in 2020 and
renewables just 12%. The IEA foresees a peak
to oil demand in all its scenarios in the STEPS
forecast with a very gradual decline, but the NZE
forecast plateauing within a decade and dropping
further by nearly three-quarter by 2050.
Planning for Malaysia’s Future Energy
Demand – ENERGY WATCH
According to current projections, Malaysia’s
electricity demand is expected to grow from
18,808MW in 2020 to 24,050MW by 2039. On
a wider scale, due to a combination of global
population growth and the economic growth
of developing countries, the total energy
consumption of the world is also expected to
increase by a whopping 48% by 2040, according
to the US Energy Information Administration
(EIA).
Scaling up and building new energy generation
and distribution systems to meet this demand
is a gargantuan task on its own. Factoring in the
ever-growing urgency to mitigate the effects of
climate change makes this task exponentially
more complicated. It requires a delicate balance
of integrating renewable energy, retiring fossil-fuel
based generation plants and reducing projected
energy demands. Of these three factors needed
to ensure the country’s energy security over
the next few decades, reducing the projected
energy demands and strain on Malaysia’s energy
generation system is by far the most efficient and
cost-effective option available.
Importance and Impact of Reducing Malaysia’s
Energy Demand
According to a March 2021 report from Malaysia’s
energy authority, Suruhanjaya Tenaga, the
country’s expected net energy demand of
24,050MW in 2039 can be reduced by almost
10,00MW to 23,093MW just by integrating
demand-side renewable energy resources at the
distribution network. Demand-side resources are
components that exist in the energy ecosystem
that can offload some of the expected strain on
the country’s central energy grid. These resources
can be split into two main categories:
● Behind-the-Meter sources: Components on
end users’ side that reduce energy demand
such as energy efficiency (EE) technologies
and self-consumption resources like
rooftop solar.
● Distributed Generation (DG): Renewable
energy sources that are connected at the
energy distribution network, offloading
the strain on central energy generators in
the grid. This includes resources such as
biomass, biogas, mini hydro, and waste-to-
energy.
The resilience of Malaysia’s energy system
is invisible to most and taken for granted as the
country has an average electricity disruption of
less than 50 minutes a year. This is the lowest
amongst the ASEAN region and comparable
even to advanced economies such as Denmark,
France and the UK.
Maintaining this resiliency, while managing
the energy trilemma to ensure that energy is
reliably available for a growing and technologically
evolving population, while attempting to transition
energy systems to reach emission targets, is
challenging to say the least. The potential benefits
then, of reducing the projected demand on the
country’s energy system by almost 10,00MW, are
substantial.
In terms of monetary costs, reduced demand
would lessen the investment needed to scale up
energy systems and distribution grids. Lessening
the strain on energy systems will reduce the risk
on the security of energy supply and ultimately,
a lower energy consumption will result in less
harmful emissions to the environment.
Across the board, reduced energy demand
helps mitigate the challenges of providing
reliable, affordable, and cleaner electricity to the
population.
The race to scale up Green Hydrogen –
Financial Times
The German energy company, ITM Power, has,
over the past 20 years, created an international
name for itself in the clean energy industry and
has grabbed the attention of Governments from
Germany to Japan. Its new £22m factory — the
size of two football pitches — manufactures
electrolyser equipment that can use renewable
power to produce hydrogen from water.
Green hydrogen is made by using clean
electricity from renewable energy technologies to
electrolyse water (H2O), separating the hydrogen
atom within it from its molecular twin oxygen. This
is currently very expensive.
Blue hydrogen is produced using natural
gas but with carbon emissions being captured
51
 INGENIEUR
Smoke emitting from the exhausts of a ship
and stored, or reused. Negligible amounts are
produced due to a lack of capture projects.
Grey hydrogen is the most common form
of hydrogen production. It comes from natural
gas via steam methane reformation but without
emissions capture.
Brown hydrogen is the cheapest way to make
hydrogen but also the most environmentally
damaging due to the use of thermal coal in the
production process.
Turquoise hydrogen uses a process called
methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and solid
carbon. It is not proven at scale and there are
concerns around methane leakage.
Marine Renewable Energy – Strait Times
The shipping sector is often referred to as the
lifeblood of the global economy and a determinant
of economic growth. It is estimated that shipping
accounts for over eight per cent of global trade,
which is handled by ports all over the world.
However, the shipping sector is also seen as a
major contributor to air pollution.
Fossil fuels used by ships have a significant
carbon dioxide (CO2) content, which contributes
to global warming and climate change. The
International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena)
has published a report on the impact of shipping
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activities on CO2 emissions. The shipping sector
contributes four to five per cent of all CO2 emissions.
Furthermore, the sector is responsible for
three per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions and 90% of global emissions
attributable to transportation. This is alarming
since the figure is expected to rise in tandem with
the development of global trade.
According to the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO), the sector must utilise clean
and ecologically favourable energy sources.
The International Conference for the Prevention
of Pollution from Ships (Marpol) has outlined
regulations for the prevention of air pollution by
ships under Annex VI.
Since 2010, Malaysia has adopted and
implemented Annex VI of Marpol to reduce
pollution from merchant ships at sea. The
subsection under Annex VI which governs energy
efficiency for ships further mandates ship owners
to better CO2 emissions by improving the design,
planning, operation, and monitoring of the ships.
Merchant ships with a gross tonnage of 400 or
more are subject to the rules to limit CO2 emissions
that degrade the environment.
With the introduction of marine RE, the
shipping sector is no longer completely reliant
on non-renewable fossil fuel supplies. This can
indirectly secure our position as a global supply
chain shipping hub.

KOH and Sea Sand as
Green Catalyst for Biodiesel
Production
By Sarina Sulaiman and Fatani, Mustafa Ahmed
Department of Chemical Engineering and Sustainability,
Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia
Biofuel tanker and filling station
Many developed countries have focused on
generating energy from the earth’s resources,
which is a key input for human wellbeing, social
growth, economic progress and higher living
standards. Biodiesel is a clean-burning, easy-to-
make diesel made from fats or oils. Biodiesel can
be made from either vegetable oil or animal fats,
and it works in any diesel engine. This research
aims to characterise the catalysts made of sea
sand and potassium hydroxide and synthesise
and optimise the use of green heterogeneous
catalysts. The maximum biodiesel yield, at
76.7%, was obtained with a 1:1 KOH:sea sand
ratio and with other fixed parameters such as
reaction temperature (65°C), reaction duration
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
(three hours), and methanol-to-oil ratio (15:1).
This research has opened a new door for
biodiesel production and has provided a safer,
greener and more environment-friendly catalyst.
M
any industrialised countries have focused
on utilising the earth's resources to
generate renewable energy, a critical input
for human welfare, social development, economic
progress, and improved living standards. The main
source of conventional energy has been fossil
fuels. As oil prices have risen and the demand
for petroleum products has increased, scientists
have begun investigating biodiesel production from
waste materials, as a green and renewable source.
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 INGENIEUR
Biodiesel is a clean-burning diesel, made
from fats or oils, that is simple to make. It is a
reasonably simple alternative fuel to make and
safe when used responsibly. Biodiesel can be
made from vegetable oil or animal fats and can
be used in any diesel engine without modification.
It is non-toxic and biodegradable, emitting around
60% less carbon dioxide than petroleum-based
diesel since it is made from atmospheric carbon
dioxide by plants through photosynthesis. Since
some diesel engines can run on biodiesel, it can
directly replace petroleum goods as a renewable
fuel, reducing the country's reliance on imported
oil (Ong et al., 2011).
The transesterification process produces
biodiesel—a reaction of triglyceride with alcohol
to form ester and glycerol in the presence of a
catalyst. The esterification process is suitable for
acid-catalysed transesterification and is much
faster than acid-catalysed transesterification.
However, for lipid feedstock with greater than
two per cent free fatty acid, esterification is the
first step, followed by transesterification. The
esterification process is required to reduce the
FFA to below two per cent since biodiesel cannot
be produced directly by the alkaline catalyst.
In this research, biodiesel is produced through
the reaction of palm oil with methanol in the
presence of potassium hydroxide as a catalyst,
supported by sea sand to maximise the biodiesel
yield.
The main interest in recent studies was
investigating the use of a green catalyst for biodiesel
production and providing an economical process to
produce biodiesel within the international standard.
This project focuses on palm oil as a feedstock
reacted with potassium hydroxide supported with
sea sand as a catalyst for biodiesel production
by the transesterification process. It also aims to
optimise the ratio of KOH and sea sand to maximise
biodiesel yield (Jin et al., 2011).
Materials and Method
Materials Preparation
Sea sand was collected from the beach at Port
Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Potassium
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hydroxide was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich,
Germany. Palm oil or cooking oil was bought at a
market in Malaysia.
Catalyst preparation and transesterification
process
The sea sand was washed and dried in the oven
at 110ºC overnight to remove water and moisture.
After that, the sea sand underwent a calcination
process at 900ºC for three hours. Then the sea
sand was impregnated with KOH. The calcined sea
sand was kept in a desiccator for further use.
In this process, KOH and calcined sea sand
were used as catalyst loading with different ratios.
Multiple experiments were performed by varying
the KOH (1-5wt%) / sea sand (1-5wt%) ratio. The
reaction was conducted for three hours at 65°C,
500 rpm, with a methanol:oil ratio of 15:1 to obtain
the optimum biodiesel production. The solution
was then transferred to and left overnight in a
separating funnel. The upper layer was collected,
as the denser glycerin will be at the bottom of
the separating funnel. The bottom layer contains
glycerin, excess alcohol, catalyst, impurities and
traces of unreacted oil and needs to be removed
(de Oliveira et al., 2022; Muciño et al., 2014a).
The yield of methyl esters was calculated using
Equation 1 (Margaretha et al., 2012).
Design Expert 6.0.8 software was used to
perform the experiments. Response Surface
Methodology (RSM) and the Central Composite
Design (CCD) were used to find the variables'
interactions and predict the optimum condition
for FAME yield conversion. The design used two
numeric factors: the amount of sea sand and KOH.
Based on the two factorial values by the software,
two points (highest and lowest) were used for each
factor. For this experiment, the total number of
runs was 13, with five centre points face-centred,
and one response, biodiesel yield (wt%), as shown
in Table 2.
The SEM analysis was done using an SEM
JEOL JSM-6700F model to determine the
catalysts' morphologies. FTIR was done to study
the functional group of catalysts. The green
catalyst was examined using an FTIR (BRUKER,
tensor 27), ranging from 500–5000 cm -1 (Sanuzi
et al., 2018).
 weight of fatty acid methyl ester
The yield of FAME = x 100%
weight of oil used

Equation 1

Figure 1: SEM test of catalyst

Figure 2: FTIR spectra of catalyst

Figure 3: Three-dimensional response surface plot for the KOH/sea sand

55
 INGENIEUR

Run Factor A: Factor B: FAME Yield

Sea Sand, wt% KOH, wt% Conversion (%)
1 3 5 45.17
2 5 3 28.63
3 3 3 28.06
4 3 1 69.5
5 1 3 34.33
6 1 5 47.38
7 5 1 63.14
8 3 3 26.84
9 3 3 26.17
10 1 1 76.7
11 5 5 45.8
12 3 3 24.02
13 3 3 28.84
Table 1: FAME Yield Conversion

FAME Conversion = 26.96 – 3.47*A – 11.83*B + 3.08*A2 +28.93*B2 + 3*AB

where A is sea sand and B is KOH, to produce biodiesel.

Equation 2

Source Sum of DF Square F Value Prob > F

Squares Mean

Model 3902.83 5 780.57 244.22 <0.0001 significant

A 72.38 1 72.38 22.65 <0.0021
B 839.93 1 839.93 262.79 0.0001
A2 26.18 1 26.18 8.19 0.0243
B2 2312.20 1 2312.20 723.42 <0.0001
AB 35.88 1 35.88 11.23 0.0122
Residual 22.37 7 3.20
Lack of Fit 13.51 3 4.50 2.03 0.2517 Not
significant
Pure Error 8.86 4 2.21
Cor Total 3925.20 12

Table 2: ANOVA for Response Surface Reduced Quadratic Model

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Results and Discussion
Catalyst Characterisation
The catalysts were characterised by SEM and FTIR
to determine the structure and morphology of the
catalysts, the presence of their functional groups
and the components present in the catalysts, to
estimate the quality of the catalysts and to ensure
that they were within the acceptable range. The
catalysts were prepared by drying and calcinating
sea sand at 900°C for three hours and then
impregnating it with KOH for further testing.
The catalyst (KOH/calcined sea sand) was
tested using SEM images to observe its surface
morphology and texture. The SEM image is
shown in Figure 4.1 with a magnification of 500x.
The observation showed that the samples were
amorphous, with some aggregates (Muciño et al.,
2014b). The figure also illustrated that some pores
or cavities on the surface of the sand can act as
an adsorbent (Zaker et al., 2013).
Based on Figure 3, most peaks were observed
between 800 to 3350cm -1 wavenumbers for
the catalyst (calcined sea sand + KOH). A strong
absorption peak was found at around 3346cm -1
due to O-H stretching of water molecules present
in the interlayer region of montmorillonite. A
peak at 2937cm -1 was due to C-H stretching,
assigned to calcite. Strong bands at 1636cm-1 and
883cm -1 were assigned to Si-O asymmetric
stretching vibrations, suggesting the presence of
quartz in the samples (Sivakumar et al., 2012).
Optimisation of Biodiesel
Table 1 shows biodiesel's predicted and
experimental results using KOH/sea sand. The
green catalyst was optimised to determine the
optimum yield of biodiesel. Table 1 also indicates
the result of 13 experiments done in triplicate
using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A
model for the experimental design was fitted using
Design Expert 6.0.8 (Stat-Ease Inc., USA).
The final equation in terms of (coded factors)
experimental data is shown in Equation 2.
Table 2 showed ANOVA for the response
surface quadratic model. The model F-value of
244.22 implies that the model is significant. There
is only a 0.01% chance that a "Model F-value"
this large could occur due to noise. Values of
"Prob > F" less than 0.0500 indicate model
terms are significant. In this case, A2 and B2 are
significant model terms. A value greater than
0.1000 indicates that the model terms are not
significant. If there are many significant model
terms (not counting those required to support
the hierarchy), model reduction may improve the
model. The "Lack of Fit Value" of 2.03 implies the
Lack of Fit is not significant relative to the pure
error. There is a 25.17% chance that a "Lack of Fit"
this large could occur due to noise. No significant
Lack of Fit is good since the Fit Model is needed.
"The R-squared" value of 0.9943 is in
reasonable agreement with "Adj R-Squared" of
0.9902. "Adeq Precision" measures the signal-to-
noise ratio. A ratio greater than 4 is desirable. A
ratio of 41.749 indicates an adequate signal. This
model can be used to navigate the design space.
The model's goodness to fit was checked by using
the determination coefficient (R2). In this case,
the value of R2 (0.9943) is closer to 1, denoting
a better correlation between the observed and
predicted responses. The results from the central
composite design were fitted to an equation to
explain the relationship of the amount of catalysts
used on the FAME yield conversion.
Effect of the amount of catalysts on FAME yields
conversion
Figure 3 represents the interaction effect of
calcined sea sand and KOH on biodiesel yield.
The composition of the catalyst will enhance
biodiesel production by determining the highest
FAME yield production. As illustrated in Figure 3, it
showed that 1wt% of KOH and 1wt% of sea sand
gave the highest FAME yield conversion of 76.7%.
Transesterifikasi (2018) studied and concluded
that a 7wt% loading amount of catalysts with a 2:1
clamshell to sea sand ratio produced the highest
FAME yield of 75.3% (Transesterifikasi, 2018).
Increasing the loading amount from 1 to 5wt%
reduced the yield, due to excess alkaline catalyst
loading that could result in soap formation and
thus decrease biodiesel yield. Therefore, it can be
concluded that the optimum amount of catalyst
for biodiesel production that gave the higher FAME
yield conversion was 1:1 KOH:sea sand ratio, fixing
other parameters such as reaction temperature
(65ºC), reaction time (three hours) and methanol:oil
ratio (1:15) throughout the experiment (Chouhan &
Sarma, 2011; Thangaraj et al., 2019).
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 INGENIEUR
For the model validation, the predicted yield of
77.27% and actual yield of 75.1% were obtained,
and the percentage error was 2.88%.
Conclusion
Biodiesel was produced using palm oil, methanol
and the green catalyst KOH/sea sand. This study
concluded that the highest FAME yields produced
were 76.7% with a 1:1 KOH:sea sand ratio at
constant parameters of reaction temperature
(65°C), reaction time (three hours) and methanol
to oil ratio (15:1). The use of a high loading amount
of catalyst reduced the yield, due to excess
alkaline catalyst loading that could result in soap
formation and thus decrease biodiesel yield. This
study has opened up a new green catalyst—a
combination of two catalysts—which increases
percentage yield significantly.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the Department of
Chemical Engineering and Sustainability, Kulliyyah
of Engineering International Islamic University
Malaysia (IIUM), for providing the laboratory
equipment for this research.
REFERENCE
Chouhan, A. P. S., & Sarma, A. K. (2011). Modern
heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production:
A comprehensive review. Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(9), 4378–4399.
de Oliveira, K. G., de Lima, R. R. S., de Longe, C.,
de C. Bicudo, T., Sales, R. V., & de Carvalho, L.
S. (2022). Sodium and potassium silicate-based
catalysts prepared using sand silica concerning
biodiesel production from waste oil. Arabian
Journal of Chemistry, 15(2), 103603. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2021.103603
Jin, C., Yao, M., Liu, H., Chia-fon, F. L., & Ji, J.
(2011). Progress in the production and application
of n-butanol as a biofuel. Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(8), 4080–4106.
Margaretha, Y. Y., Prastyo, H. S., Ayucitra, A., &
Ismadji, S. (2012). Calcium oxide from Pomacea
sp. shell as a catalyst for biodiesel production.
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International Journal of Energy and Environmental
Engineering, 3(1), 1–9.
Muciño, G. G., Romero, R., Ramírez, A., Martínez,
S. L., Baeza-Jiménez, R., & Natividad, R. (2014a).
Biodiesel production from used cooking oil and sea
sand as heterogeneous catalyst. Fuel, 138, 143–
148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2014.07.053
Muciño, G. G., Romero, R., Ramírez, A., Martínez,
S. L., Baeza-Jiménez, R., & Natividad, R. (2014b).
Biodiesel production from used cooking oil and
sea sand as heterogeneous catalyst. Fuel, 138,
143–148.
Ong, H. C., Mahlia, T. M. I., Masjuki, H. H., &
Norhasyima, R. S. (2011). Comparison of palm oil,
Jatropha curcas and Calophyllum inophyllum for
biodiesel: a review. Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Reviews, 15(8), 3501–3515.
Sanuzi, A. I., Tahir, S. M., & Khazaai, S. N. M.
(2018). Kulit kerang dan pasir pantai sebagai
mangkin heterogen untuk penghasilan biodiesel
berasaskan minyak masak sawit terpakai melalui
tindakbalas transesterifikasi. Malaysian Journal of
Analytical Sciences, 22(1), 107–114. https://doi.
org/10.17576/mjas-2018-2201-13
Sivakumar, S., Ravisankar, R., Raghu, Y.,
Chandrasekaran, A., & Chandramohan, J. (2012).
FTIR spectroscopic studies on coastal sediment
samples from Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu, India.
Indian Journal of Advances in Chemical Science,
1, 40–46.
Thangaraj, B., Solomon, P. R., Muniyandi, B.,
Ranganathan, S., & Lin, L. (2019). Catalysis in
biodiesel production—a review. Clean Energy, 3(1),
2–23.
Transesterifikasi, T. (2018). Clamshell and sea
sand as heterogeneous catalysts for waste
cooking oil based biodiesel production via
transesterification reaction. Malaysian Journal of
Analytical Sciences, 22(1), 107–114.
Zaker, Y., MA, H., Ali, M., Islam, M. S., & Islam, T.
S. A. (2013). Characterization of sand fractionated
from Bijoypur soil, Bangladesh and its application
as an adsorbent. Research Journal of Chemical
Sciences, 2231, 606X.
 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Electrochemical Techniques
to Convert CO2 to Specialty
Chemicals
By Ahmed Halilu, Rozita Yusoff, Hanee Farzana Hizaddin,
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
University of Malaya

Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua

Centre for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Utilisation
School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University

Maan Hayyan
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
Muscat University, Sultanate of Oman

T
he global CO 2 emission level amounts
to around 420ppm, a consequence of
high fossil-based energy demands by
the transportation, industrial, and commercial
sectors. High amounts of CO2 in our environment
is evidently causing irreversible climate change.1
Currently, due to high CO2 levels, the global
temperature is rising, owing to CO 2 heating
effects. Rising global temperatures cause the
melting of icebergs which eventually increases
global sea levels. Accordingly, the world is dealing
with climate change in terms of recurring floods
due to rising sea levels. Drought caused by rising
global ambient temperatures is another challenge
caused by high CO2 effects.
Currently, there is progress towards unravelling
climate change issues through combined CO2
capture and conversion technique. Prominent
CO2 capture technologies includes membrane
technology which is limited by selectivity issues
and is also impossible to capture up to 90%
CO2 irrespective of the membrane that is used.
Carbon dioxide conversion to methanol

59
 INGENIEUR

Figure 1: Synopsis on CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion

The membrane is designed from zeolites, metal
organic framework (MOF), organic polymers,
silica-based and transition metal oxides. Another
approach is the use of absorbents such as ionic
liquids, deep eutectic solvents that ameliorate
the challenges with classical amine-based
absorbents. Furthermore, carbonaceous or
siliceous adsorbents have been employed through
surface modification to capture CO2.
As the cost of CO2 capture technology is
challenging to compensate the value for the CO2,
direct capture and transformation of CO2 on-site
is the emerging trend. In particular, the process
produces specialty chemicals that are important
in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
The electrochemical techniques are highly
promising, transforming excess CO2 from a source
into specialty chemicals rather than releasing it
into the atmosphere. 2 Consequently, not only
is the CO2 level in the environment reduced but
there is also opportunity for CO2 monetisation,
irrespective of source. The general outlook on CO2
capture and transformation is shown in Figure 1,
wherein a good capture technology can facilitate
the electrochemical conversion process.
ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 CONVERSION
Electrochemical conversion of CO2 was initially
investigated about 1.5 centuries ago without
reaching commercialisation and scale-up due to

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Figure 2: Product distribution of CO2 electrochemical conversion to various specialty chemicals.
technological hurdles that are associated with
process intensification3 . However, significant
breakthroughs have been recorded in recent
decades, and electrochemical technology is
currently approaching the demonstration phase.
Many breakthroughs have been made in the
last decade, especially concerning different
electrocatalyst materials used as electrodes in a
practical CO2 electrolyser. It was established that
anodic reaction in a CO2 electrolyser is usually
water oxidation, releasing oxygen. Electrons flow
through the outer circuit to the cathode, where they
can combine with CO2 to form various commercially
valuable products. The electrochemical CO 2
conversion to these products, otherwise referred
to as specialty chemicals, are attractive from the
perspectives of green manufacturing technology,
environmental protection and climate action.
In the context of green technology, the
electrochemical technique has the potential
advantage of utilising excess electrical energy
generated from intermittent sources like solar or
wind (See Figure 1).4 Moreover, electrochemical
CO2 conversion in the perspective of environmental
protection serves as a means of producing
specialty chemicals such as carbon monoxide,
formic acid or formate, CO, methane, ethylene,
ethane, methanol, acetic acid, propanol, and
ethanol (See Figure 2).5-7 These specialty chemicals
have high economic value and researchers have
synthesised them in substantial yields. Recently,
we included peroxydicarbonate carboxylation
anion from the direct electrochemical conversion
of CO2.8, 9 Essentially, the electrochemical CO2
conversion process as green technology is a
means of storing excess energy from other
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 INGENIEUR
sources such as solar, wind, or CO2 in the form
of specialty chemicals. Sometimes drop-in fuel
molecules are produced.10-12
OUTLOOK
While electrochemical CO2 conversion is being
investigated extensively at the moment, reports
are yet to address the industrial scalability of
the process. Currently, there are new catalysts
and the modification of CO 2 absorbents
such as ionic liquids for CO 2 capture and
conversion simultaneously. These could open
up new opportunities for effective integrated
electrochemical CO 2 conversion operations.
Therefore, for a scalable electrochemical CO2
conversion, we recommend optimised single-
atom catalysis (SAC) during the process. The SAC
can provide predictable high electrochemical CO2
conversion, activity, and selectivity to a specified
specialty chemical.
REFERENCE
1. Solomon, S.; Plattner, G.-K.; Knutti, R.;
Friedlingstein, P., Irreversible climate change
due to carbon dioxide emissions. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. 2009, 106 (6), 1704-1709.
2. Goeppert, A.; Czaun, M.; Jones, J.-P.; Prakash,
G. S.; Olah, G. A., Recycling of carbon dioxide
to methanol and derived products–closing
the loop. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43 (23),
7995-8048.
3. qRoyer, M., Réduction de l’acide carbonique
en acide formique. Compt. Rend 1870, 1870,
731-32.
4. Ren, D.; Loo, N. W. X.; Gong, L.; Yeo, B. S.,
Continuous production of ethylene from
carbon dioxide and water using intermittent
sunlight. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2017, 5
(10), 9191-9199.
5. Kibria, M. G.; Edwards, J. P.; Gabardo, C.
M.; Dinh, C. T.; Seifitokaldani, A.; Sinton, D.;
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Sargent, E. H., Electrochemical CO2 reduction
into chemical feedstocks: from mechanistic
electrocatalysis models to system design.
Adv. Mater. 2019, 31 (31), 1807166.
6. Lee, C. W.; Cho, N. H.; Nam, K. T.; Hwang, Y.
J.; Min, B. K., Cyclic two-step electrolysis for
stable electrochemical conversion of carbon
dioxide to formate. Nat. commun. 2019, 10
(1), 1-8.
7. Kuo, L.; Dinh, C.-T., Toward efficient catalysts
for electrochemical CO2 conversion to C 2
products. Curr. Opin. Electrochem. 2021,
100807.
8. Halilu, A.; Hayyan, M.; Aroua, M. K.; Yusoff,
R.; Hizaddin, H. F., In Situ Electrosynthesis
of Peroxydicarbonate Anion in Ionic Liquid
Media Using Carbon Dioxide/Superoxide
System. ACS Appl. Mater. & Interf. 2019, 11
(29), 25928-25939.
9. Halilu, A.; Hayyan, M.; Aroua, M. K.; Yusoff, R.;
Hizaddin, H. F.; Basirun, W. J., Hybridized Fe/
Ru-SiMWCNT-ionic liquid nanofluid for CO2
conversion into carbamate using superoxide
ion. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2021, 9 (4),
105285.
10. Kuo, L.; Dinh, C.-T., Toward efficient catalysts
for electrochemical CO2 conversion to C2
products. Curr Opin. Electrochem. 2021,
100807.
11. Nitopi, S.; Bertheussen, E.; Scott, S. B.; Liu,
X.; Engstfeld, A. K.; Horch, S.; Seger, B.;
Stephens, I. E. L.; Chan, K.; Hahn, C.; Nørskov,
J. K.; Jaramillo, T. F.; Chorkendorff, I., Progress
and Perspectives of Electrochemical CO2
Reduction on Copper in Aqueous Electrolyte.
Chem. Rev. 2019, 119 (12), 7610-7672.
12. Fan, L.; Xia, C.; Zhu, P.; Lu, Y.; Wang, H.,
Electrochemical CO 2 reduction to high-
concentration pure formic acid solutions in an
all-solid-state reactor. Nat. Commun. 2020,
11 (1), 3633.
Subsea Trenching ROV

Offshore Electrical and

SPECIAL REPORT
Telecommunication Cable
Installation Part 1
By Ir. Roslian Efendy bin Syafrial
Engineering Manager
WS Offshore Pte Ltd, Singapore

QT1000 Subsea Trencher by SMD Subsea Technology built

for KT Submarine, (image from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ZzJVD7glMUQ)

1.0 INTRODUCTION Channel Submarine Telegraph Company which

In recent years, we have seen a lot of major
offshore field development especially in oil and
gas, and wind farm, etc., making subsea cables
and pipelines a very important communication
means through the maritime spectrum.
Looking back at history, we can see that
submarine cables have played a huge role in
international data transmission since the 1850s.
It was all started by John Watkins Brett’s English
laid the first line across the English Channel after
being granted a concession from the French
Government [4]. British submarine cable systems
expanded to the Mediterranean and the Indian
Ocean during the 1860s to 1870s. Since then,
the cable system has spread across most of the
world.
During those early years, cables were laid on
the seabed with the only protection provided by
the outer layer of the cables themselves. It was

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Burial Systems Available Configurations
Sleds • Jetting systems
• Rock wheel cutters
• Chain excavators
• Dredging systems
Free swimming ROVs • Jetting systems
• Dredging systems
Tracked Machines • Jetting systems
• Rock wheel cutters
• Chain excavators
• Dredging systems
Ploughs • Conventional narrow cable
ploughs
• Advanced cable ploughs
• Modular cable ploughs
• Rock ripping ploughs
• Vibrating share ploughs
Table 1: Overview of subsea trenching technologies (Data from BERR [7]).
Figure 1: Range of capabilities of different trenching technologies (adapted from Brunning and
Machin [8]).
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General Characteristics
These are routinely deployed from jack-ups or
barges and either possess subsea power or
utilize power systems which are installed on the
barges.
Free swimming ROVs are generally conducted
and controlled from a barge or a host vessel
such as a Dive Support Vessel (DSV). They
normally work in post lay burial fashion, and
are mainly suited for shorter distances with
operating depths that can reach approximately
2500m.
Tracked machines are controlled via a tether
connected to the host vessel. Interestingly,
not all these machines operate in post lay; few
exceptions, such as the LT1, have the ability
to achieve cables laying and burying process
concomitantly. Their efficiency can be extended
to water depths up to 2000m.
Cable ploughs are towed systems usually
operated from a host vessel with enough
bollard pull to allow a continuous cable burial
progress. In principle, the cables are buried
along with the laying process. Cable ploughs
are suited in a wide variety of soils and are
typically deployed for longer distances of
operation. Ploughs can operate in shallow and
deep-water conditions (up to 1500m).
only in the 1970s, that cable burial was introduced
as the optimal protection technique. The standard
burial depth was approximately 0.6m for many
years mainly to provide protection against fishing
nets and trawls.
A statistical analysis done by the US
Department of Energy on 1061 submarine
cable faults and accidents in various sea areas
showed that 82% of cables were damaged by
external activities such as ship anchors, icebergs,
fishing activities, seabed relief or even shipping
containers that fell off vessels while the remaining
18% was due to internal faults [5].
Today trenching machines have widespread
use and are classified based on their operational
mode. There are four major categories, including:
(i) burial sleds, (ii) burial remotely operated
vehicles (ROVs), (iii) tracked burial machines, and
(iv) burial ploughs [7] (see Table 1).
In normal circumstances, subsea cable burial
projects are seldom carried out using a single
trenching method due to variable conditions
of the seabed and depending on the depth and
location. Because of these factors, several
burial technologies may be selected according
to their different range of application. Figure 1
shows various trenching methods with different
capabilities.
Figure 2.1: General principle of the jet trenching method: Conceptual illustration
(adapted from Warringa et al. [9])
2.0 PRINCIPLE
The ROV-based jet trenchers are often preferred
to the other trenching methods in deep-sea soft
soil regions, due to their excellent versatility and
operability. In reality, except for some trenching
tools such as cable ploughs and pipeline ploughs,
conventional trenching devices are heavy and
complex machines (with several moving parts),
which makes them difficult to control in deep-
water conditions [6].
The jet trenching method modifies the initial
seabed matrix with high-speed water jets so that
the heavier pre-laid ‘products’, cables or pipelines,
sink to a pre-determined depth, dragged down
by their own weight. As shown in Figure 2.1, this
modification is usually achieved through erosion/
fluidisation or cutting and relies on specific
methodologies [6].
The basic configuration of a trenching ROV is
similar to the common ROV with the additional
features of a jetting unit. In most circumstances,
the power rating of a trenching ROV is higher
than the normal work-class or heavy work-class
ROV which can vary from 200HP to 1000HP.
Significantly higher power rated machines are
very rare as there are only a few manufacturers
involved in manufacturing such units.
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 INGENIEUR

a b

c d

e f

g h

Figure 2.2: (a) Vehicle is launched, (b) reaches the cable lay position, (c) deploys the cable tracking
device, (d) confirms the cable lay position, (e) repositioning the vehicle, (f) confirm the cable is in the
centre of the vehicle jetting unit, (g) the jetting unit in operation and the vehicle is moving forward
along the cable, (h) backfilling the trench simultaneously if required. All images were captured from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJVD7glMUQ

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Figure 2.3: Basic system configuration of a trenching ROV.

Jet Available Jetting Machine Operators

Trencher Models Specifications Capabilities
Systems (Year) Pump Flow Pressure Operation Soil Burial Burial
(kW) Rate (bar) Depth Condition Depth Speed
(m3/h) (m) (m) (m/h)
Bantam 4 - - 25 Sands 3.2–5.2 - Global
III & marine
Clays systems

Dragon 7.5 - - 250 Sands 3.2–5.2 - Global

Jetting and & marine
Sled Viper Clays systems

JS1 - 800– 5–10 100 Sands 3 - Modus

1000 & Ltd.
Clays

Q-1000 2 x 300 1000 8 1500–3000 Fine Sand 3 400 Global

(2015) to firm marine
clays systems
UT-1 4 x 375 4800 7 1500 Sand to 0.75–3 1000 Deep
(2015) soft clays ocean
T-1200 3 x 375 1050– 8–16 3000 Sand to 3 780 Canyon
(2012) 1800 stiff clays helix
Self – offshore
Propelled CBT-2100 2 x 300 1200 7–15 1000 Soft to 1–3.5 250 Deep
ROV hard ocean
ground
Triton Varying 480 8.5 2500 Sands to 2 - Tyco
ST200 low submarine
strength Ltd.
clays
Seamole 2 x 300 960– 5–15 2000 Strong 2.5 2000 Prysmian
(2000) 3000 cohesive group
soil
CT-1 1 x 150 - 5 2500 Sands to 3 2000 CTC
medium marine
strength projects
clays Ltd.

Table 2.1 Specifications

Tableand performance
2.1 Specifications indicatorsindicators
and performance of jet trencher machines.
of jet trencher [6]
machines. [6]

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 INGENIEUR
Table 3.1: Douglas Scale from World Meteorological Organisation Sea State Code.
A complete trenching ROV system can be
divided into following sub-systems:
Vehicle: This dives and does the subsea work
with the jetting tools attached to it. Sometimes
it will carry survey equipment, sensors, or other
tools required for specific subsea operations. It
is similar to work-class ROVs. In some situations,
the Trenching ROV may be equipped with a set
of tracks or crawler on the port and starboard
sides. These can be dismantled when the vehicle
operates with a pair of skids.
Launch and recovery system (LARS): It is
crucial to have a LARS that can hold the operation
steady in rough weather conditions where
manoeuvring the vehicle is challenging due to the
sway of the operating vessel. It has to be carefully
designed to cater for harsh conditions where
dynamic impacts may often occur.
Umbilical winch: This stores the umbilical
that connects the vehicle with the control cabin.
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The storage drum is designed according to the
operating depth of the vehicle, whether it is 1000,
2000, or 3000 metres.
Hydraulic power unit (HPU): This unit operates
the LARS and winch system. It has multiple control
valves to operate different functions on the LARS
and winch such as luff-in, luff-out, docking head
lock, winch-in, winch-out, level wind left or right, etc.
Control cabin: This is the control room for the
vehicle. It contains all major surface component
such as transformer, power distribution unit (PDU),
control station, recording station, communication
station, etc.
Workshop cabin: This unit is used to store all
important spares for the trencher operation. All major
parts and consumable spares are located here.
The basic deck layout of a trenching ROV is
explained in Figure 2.3. The red line shows the
main power supply from a generator set or the
ship. The blue line indicates the hydraulic control
Figure 3: Overall sub-systems that form a trenching ROV.

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 INGENIEUR
for the umbilical winch and a-frame/LARS. The
green line shows the control from the control
container to the umbilical winch and the trencher.
This article focuses on the overall system and
construction of the vehicle only as it is the key for
the whole trenching system. Every element will be
explained in very simple terms but not ignoring
their technical importance to provide substantial
knowledge to all readers from various background.
VEHICLE SYSTEM
The trenching vehicle comprises several sub-
systems that are integrated to form a fully
functional subsea working trencher. In normal
circumstances, a trenching ROV must be able to
function like a ROV but most of the time must
work as a subsea trencher. In order to do that, few
important aspects have to be carefully considered
in designing the trencher such as:
1. Sufficient water pump power to perform the
seabed trenching in a smooth and efficient
way.
2. The subsea hydraulic power unit must be
able to supply enough power for the trencher
to operate the water pump, hydraulic
systems such as thrusters, hydraulic pump,
hydraulic motor, and manipulators.
3. The thrusters must be able to push the
trencher forward during the trenching
operation. It has to be able to hold the
trenching ROV in a horizontal position
during the cable/pipe burial due to the high
reaction force from the water that is jetted
out from the jetting sword.
4. The structural system must be designed
in such a way that all sub-systems can
be easily accessed especially during
maintenance. It has to be able to handle the
safe working load by considering the sea-
state condition base on the Douglas Scale
from World Meteorological Organization
Sea State Code.
5. The electrical system is designed to control
the subsea vehicle from a control van or
container. It can be either fully hard wired
or through fibre optical integration.
A summary of the overall sub-systems for the
vehicle is shown in Figure 3.
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Part 2 of this article will be published in Vol 92.
REFERENCE
[1] IMCAR004 Code Of Practice For The Safe
& Efficient Operations Of ROV July 2009,
International Marine Contractors Association.
[2] IMCAR006 Standard ROV Audit Document,
Februar y 2001, International Marine
Contractors Association.
[3] Chris Bell (Jan 2000), Handbook for ROV Pilot
Technicians (2nd Ed), Oilfield Publications Ltd
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_
communications_cable#:~:text=The%20
first%20submarine%20communications%20
cables%20laid%20beginning%20
in,cable%20which%20became%20
operational%20on%2016%20August%2-
01858.
[5] Tate, K.W.; Tudor, W.; Eaton, R. Protecting
Submarine Cables from Accidental Damage.
In Proceedings of the Offshore Technology
Conference, Houston, TX, USA, 3 May 1982.
[6] Pierre Guy Atangana Njock, Qian Zheng,
Ning Zhang and Ye-Shuang Xu. Perspective
Review on Subsea Jet Trenching Technology
and Modeling. Journal of Marine Science and
Engineering, 22 June 2020.
[7] BERR. Review of Cabling Techniques and
Environmental Effects Applicable to the
Offshore Wind Farm Industry: Technical
Report; Department for Business Enterprise
& Regulatory Reform: London, UK, 2008; p.
159.
[8] Brunning, P.; Machin, J. Applications and
performance of trenching technologies in
Asia-Pacific. In Proceedings of the Annual
Offshore Technology Conference-ASIA, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, 25–28 March 2014; pp.
1447–1462.
[9] Warringa, S.; Rhee, V.C.; Miedema, S.A.;
Lupea, C.; Visser, C. Modellling the waterjet
cable trenching process on sand dunes. In
Proceedings of the 22nd World Dredging
Conference, Shanghai, China, 22–26 April
2019; pp. 1135–1152.
Train journey from Hanoi,
Vietnam to Nanning, China

TRAVEL FEATURE
By Chin Siew Yin

I
have made a few trips by air before to Nanning,
the provincial capital of Guangxi, Western China,
bordering Vietnam. As a matter of curiosity after
hearing a suggestion from friends of a cross border
train service from Hanoi to Nanning, I decided to
experience it for myself since I was early for an
event in Nanning.
I booked the train ticket online and was issued
with a e-voucher by email.
I took off from KLIA airport with AirAsia airline
one morning in 2019 and arrived at the Hanoi
airport by noon. The shuttle bus service from the
airport took 30 minutes to reach the centre of
Label of destination on the side of train
Hanoi city. With the aid of a handphone translation
facility, I managed to communicate with a local
passenger on the recommended bus stop to alight
to go to the Old Quarters district of Hanoi to spend
the afternoon. The area around the scenic Hoan
Kiem lake holds a lot of attractions, such as a
water puppet theatre, the Grand Catholic Church
built in 1886, and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.
After enjoying a local popular dish, pho, for
dinner, the shop assistant assisted me to call for
a cab to the Gia Lam train station which is not at
Hanoi city centre but at a small suburb area across
the 120 year-old Long Bien steel bridge over the
Red River. The trip took about 40 minutes going Gia Lam Railway station
through the suburban area before reaching Gia The train service  MR1/T8702  is jointly
Lam train station, an unimpressive single-storey operated by Vietnam Railways and China Railway,
building. The passenger hall is about the size of a and is divided into two segments: MR1 service
classroom and there were not many passengers. from Hanoi to Dong Dang, and T8702 service
There were occasional local trains making stops to from Pingxiang to Nanning. This is an international
other parts of the city. railway service running between Vietnam and
As advised earlier, I bought some food stuff China.
from a few shops in front of the station as no food One peculiar observation was the dual-gauge
would be served onboard the train. There is a railway track system with three rails per track.
small stall inside the hall where I left my luggage Two rails on one side about 150 mm apart and
for a nominal fee since I was early. There is no the other slightly less than a meter away. This
fence guarding the railway tracks or platform and I is to allow the use of both Vietnam trains with a
took the opportunity to explore and took photos of narrower gauge and Chinese trains with a wider
the unique rail tracks and station. gauge, on the same railway line. One of the

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 INGENIEUR
The duel gauge railway track. The rail line and
platform are not guarded.
reasons for the Chinese train to terminate at
Gia Lam station instead of Hanoi city centre is
because the old Long Bien steel bridge cannot
accommodate the wider gauge rail line.
Back to the station, an agent from the train
e-ticket agency was looking for me to exchange
the e-voucher sent through email for a physical
paper ticket with my name and particulars on it.
The Chinese train finally arrived at 8.40pm
with the train attendants, dressed in military-style
uniforms, standing guard at the coach entrance.
There were a few coaches and each was self-
enclosed, with an attendant in charge. The
connecting doors to other coaches were locked,
perhaps for security reasons as most passengers
would be sleeping at night. The attendant was
stationed at a room at one end of the coach,
acting as his office. Upon entering the coach, the
guard exchanged my paper ticket with berth card
stating the cabin and bed number.
There were four soft beds in each cabin, two
on top and two at the bottom. Each bed was
given two pillows, a clean bed sheet and a pair of
sleepers wrapped in a plastic bag. The facilities
inside the cabin include cloth hangers, a thermos
flask, plug points, a table lamp, space for luggage
and individual reading lights.
There was a row of wash basins at the end
of the coach and a hot water dispenser near the
corridor. Chinese travellers like to use the hot
water for their instant noodles.
As the train moved away from Gia Lam
station at 9.20pm, it passed through the city
neighbourhoods with the back of houses close
by. One can see the families relaxing in the hall,
watching TV or taking their meals. As the train
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Table inside the cabin. The plug point next to the
table.
Common Wash basin with soap dispenser at the
end of each coach.
meandered out of the city, the buffer between the
track and the adjacent bushes was very close;
some just about a foot away. No wonder the train
could only move at a relatively slow speed and
blared the horn at regular intervals.
After four hours, the train reached the border
town, Dong Dang, at 2.00am the following day
where all passengers had to alight the train,
bringing along their luggage for Vietnam’s
immigration checkpoint and custom clearance.
The attendant would knock at the door of each
cabin 20 minutes before arrival to remind the
passengers to bring along their luggage for border
clearance.
The train stopped for an hour before moving
on at 2.50am for another 40 minutes to reach
Chinese border town, Pingxiang by 4.30am
(Chinese and Vietnamese time is one hour apart).
Again, the passengers had to alight with their
luggage for immigration and custom check. Here,
the fruits that I bought from the Gia Lam station
were all confiscated for crop protection reasons.
Again, the train stopped for an hour.

Entrance to Dong Dang, Vietnam border
checkpoint
Ping Xiang, China border checkpoint
Train passing some rural townships
As the train approached Nanning, there is
marked change of skyline with high rise and
modern housing
Leaving Pingxiang at 6.15am, the train
made the next stop at Chongzuo town with local
passengers alighting to different coaches with
hard seats. This is the only train for the day to
Nanning and the most convenient transportation
mode between Chongzuo and Nanning.
At day break, one can see the quiet country side
with farm land and villagers as the train moved
towards Nanning. There is also marked difference
on the standard of the track’s management
compared to Vietnam and the buffer between the
track and the vegetation are sufficiently wide for
safety reasons.
As the train approached Nanning city, there
is a marked change in landscape with sights of
modern housing, industrial clusters and high-rise
buildings appearing gradually.
Finally the train reached Nanning at 10.10am
and all passengers and staff had to alight and
head to the station’s terminal building. There is
an electronic signboard indicating Nanning station
with a welcoming message.
At the terminal, passengers departing from
Hanoi would go through a special lane since they
were using paper tickets. Domestic passengers
using plastic tickets enter via an automatic gate.
In all, the journey took 14 hours departing Hanoi
at 9.20 pm and arriving at Nanning at 10.10am
the following day. To compare, the cross-border
coach service only takes eight hours from Hanoi
to Nanning by special bus using new highways and
require less time for immigration clearance.
In all, it was a smooth, clean and comfortable
train ride. Security was good with attendant guards
and efficient border clearance procedures.
Nanning station
73
 INGENIEUR
What Others Say About
Green Engineering
By Samniang Saenram
REPORT
Malaysia’s Energy Policy
The announcement that the Malaysian
Government will launch the National Energy Policy
2021-2040 to advance Malaysia’s sustainable
goal and to boost investment flows will set the
tone to guide Malaysia’s transition to a low-carbon
future. Presently, renewable energy accounts for
just 18% of the country’s energy mix and great
effort is being undertaken to raise the bar.
The action to combat climate change is
gathering momentum globally. Green energy is
one key area of focus in that direction. According
to the Global Carbon Project, Malaysia had the
second highest carbon dioxide emissions per
capita in ASEAN as of 2019, with 7.83 tonnes,
behind only Brunei.
Various initiatives taken by Malaysian agencies
and the private sector on green engineering
will enable the nation to be in the forefront of
sustainable energy utilisation in line with the
United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
China’s Solar Power has reached Price
Parity with Coal (Source: John Timmer)
The incredible plunge in the price of photovoltaic
systems has made solar power an affordable
option for much of the world. And as long as
solar is providing a small fraction of the power
on a given grid, there’s little holding back the
addition of new photovoltaic facilities. But as the
fraction of solar power grows, managing the fact
that it only generates electricity intermittently
becomes a significant grid-management
challenge.
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At that point, factors other than price become
significant in determining how much solar energy
makes sense. And those factors can vary from
country to country. This means that understanding
solar’s potential requires a country-specific
analysis. Researchers in China released an
analysis of their country, indicating that solar has
now reached a point where it is cost-competitive
with coal. The report also states that solar (when
coupled with storage) could handle nearly half of
China’s needs by mid-century.
A changing landscape
Like everywhere else, China has seen the cost of
solar power dive over the last decade, with a 63%
drop between 2011 and 2018 alone. In line with
that, the installation of solar has risen dramatically.
Currently, a third of the entire planet’s new solar
capacity is being commissioned in China; the
country passed the installed capacity of the US in
2013 and Germany in 2015, and it now has over
250 GW active—well more than double what its
economic plan had specified by this point.
To get a clearer picture, the researchers built a
model that takes into account most of the factors
influencing solar’s performance. The model
tracks changes in technology, economics, solar
resources, and the Chinese grid for the period
from 2020 to 2060. It used six years of satellite
weather data to estimate typical productivity in
different areas of the country, and it included
information on existing land use that would
interfere with solar-farm siting.
A lot of potential
Among other things, the model produces what the
researchers term the “technical potential”—the
amount of solar energy that could be produced if
Aerial view of solar energy, Golmud in Qinghai Province, China
all accessible sites were used to produce it. For
2020, the technical potential for solar in China is
just under 100 petawatt-hours (PWhr), or about 13
times all of China’s electricity demand. Because
of improvements in technology, that technical
potential is projected to rise to nearly 150 PW-hr
by 2060, the year China plans on reaching net-
zero emissions.
Adding storage
As noted above, however, the sites that are
likely to be the most productive (and therefore
cheapest) are in provinces that already have
to curtail solar production. The widening gap
between solar and coal, however, suggests that
opportunities will come to add battery storage
at a price that would still undercut coal. So, the
researchers also did projections for the future
price of batteries and used those to determine
how much of the solar capacity could be matched
with energy storage.
By 2030, they project that solar-plus-storage
could be generating 5.2 PW-hr at prices that
undercut coal. That’s compared to a total
consumption of about 7.5 PW-hr at present
(though consumption is expected to rise in the
intervening years). By 2060, that will rise to 7.2
PW-hr, which will represent over 40% of China’s
expected electricity needs.
The researchers suggest that the batteries
would mostly be used to meet the spikes in
demand that occur as solar production tails off
in the evening and the following morning, when
demand picks up again before solar productivity
takes off. This would mean fewer fossil fuel plants
would need to be brought online, and the baseline
power level could be set by the relatively low night
time demand.
75
 INGENIEUR
Strides in Energy Demand Management
in Malaysia and Beyond (Source: Energy
Watch)
Countries across the world have been
implementing demand-side energy management
and mitigation solutions for decades. In
neighbouring Thailand, demand-side energy
management programmes during 2003-2017
resulted in more efficient power generation,
reduced CO2 emissions by 8.4%, but encountered
challenges of higher total system costs. On the
other hand, Singapore’s Demand Response
programme contributed to system reliability and
market competition, yet faced challenges in their
low consumer participation numbers.
In Malaysia, national utility Tenaga Nasional
Berhad (TNB) has made energy demand mitigation
efforts with programmes such as Smart Meter
to foster better energy management practices
in residential areas, and Time of Use (ToU)
tariff scheme to drive energy efficiency among
commercial and industrial users. The ToU scheme
allows commercial and industrial energy consumers
to manage their electricity consumption by using less
electricity during peak demand times, and shifting
their consumption to off-peak hours, when electricity
rates are lower. While Malaysia’s electricity tariffs are
set by the Government and energy regulators, the
ToU scheme allows energy intensive commercial
and industrial sectors to self-regulate their electricity
usage and bills, and eventually reduce the overall
strain on the central grid during peak hours.
As an extension of this scheme, after the
success of the initial pilot, TNB went on to
introduce the Enhanced Time of Use (EToU) tariff
scheme with more energy usage time zones
for consumers to have better control over their
electricity consumption. These services seem to
show positive results, with the utility receiving a
rating of 86% on their Customer Satisfaction Index
(CSI), according to their Integrated Annual Report
2020. The utility is now even planning to roll out
a similar time of use programme for residential
consumers, opening up the energy management
opportunity to more Malaysians.
Managing Demand-Side Energy is a task for all
Demand-side energy management has the
potential to reduce energy costs, lower carbon
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emissions associated with energy consumption
and increase resiliency of energy grids. These
factors will be key to countries in achieving their
emissions goals as set by the Paris Agreement. It
provides unique benefits of easier, cost-effective
solutions to meeting global projected energy
needs, while offering the chance to mitigate
demand growth in coming years.
Continued and increased co-operation is
needed across multiple stakeholders to implement
a successful demand-side management roadmap
for Malaysia. While regulators and utilities roll
out programmes to incentivise energy demand
management and energy efficiency, it will also be
down to end users to change ingrained energy
consumption behaviour.
PetGas looks beyond Malaysia’s Gas
Needs (Source: The Edge Malaysia)
The gas infrastructure and utility player, Petronas
Gas Bhd (PetGas) increased its pipeline and
regasification capacity as Malaysia’s natural gas
consumption rose by more than 80%. It also
gained experience in the utility sector, including
electricity, steam and gas products generation.
However, this decade may very well present
a different landscape. For one, Malaysia’s gas
industry market is expecting full liberalisation in
the distribution segment in 2022, with another
regulatory review in 2023-2025. While PetGas’
monopoly in the gas infrastructure space
remains unchanged, policy changes may set
the tone for future returns from its regulated
businesses of gas transport (pipeline) and
regasification.
Second, Malaysia may not require huge
additions to its existing gas infrastructure capacity
in the medium term. This is because the mismatch
between domestic gas prices for the power sector
and international prices is pulling back new
entrants and, subsequently, new infrastructure
utilisation, particularly for liquefied natural gas
(LNG) regasification terminals.
For the regulated segments (gas transport and
regasification), some analysts are already anticipating
weaker rates of returns during Regulatory Period 2
(RP2) 2023-2025, taking note of the moving parts
including base tariff and regulated asset valuation
methods. AmBank Research in its February report
assumed a 15% decline in gas transport revenue
in RP2, which could translate into a 7% decrease
in its earnings forecast for the financial year ending
December 31, 2023.
Malaysia consumes about 800,000 million
standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas in a year, which
is supplied from local offshore assets (around
640,000 mmscf), with the balance coming from
the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area and
through LNG imports.
In the short to medium term, PetGas will not
be affected much by demand swings as it has
locked in long-term contracts for the infrastructure
of its three gas-related segments, with minimum
capacity reservation payments, where it is paid as
long as it makes the capacities available as per
agreement.
On the flipside, the capacity for its gas
processing and regasification segments have
been fully booked, which suggests limited earnings
growth prospects from the two businesses in the
short to medium term. It is noted that PetGas’
gas processing capacity of 2,060 mmscfd was
unchanged in the last decade.
Malaysia’s Carbon Challenge
(Source: NST Leader)
Malaysia, like other nations concerned about
global warming, has a net zero ambition. Its
carbon neutrality target is 2050. But the path
there is not going to be a walk in the park. Not
because Malaysia started late. In some things,
Malaysia is an early riser, like in flattening
the Earth-warming curve. Perhaps this is why
Malaysia is not one of the 19 countries in the
Asia-Pacific region which have not submitted
its Nationally Determined Contribution to
COP26.
But having started rather early in 2009 (long
before the Paris Accords were signed, it must be
said), it lost its agility along the way. Blame it on
Malaysia’s energy-centric economy. But Putrajaya
appears to be getting serious.
If the EAC Dialogue in 2021 is any signal,
the Government is preparing the economy for
the climate challenge, especially with extreme
weather events wreaking havoc from Kangar to
Kinabatangan. The Government is saying “no” to
new coal-fired power plants.
Putrajaya is also said to be working on
carbon reduction measures and low-carbon
development strategies. Next year should see
these implemented, if intent is turned into action.
KPMG’s inaugural Net Zero Readiness Index
(NZRI), released on October 14, scores the intent
and some action. Out of 32 countries, Malaysia
emerged 22nd. Not a bad score for a country
fuelled by an energy-centric economy. But the
country has miles to go before it puts carbon
emissions to sleep.
Malaysia’s electricity- and heat-generating
sector, by the reckoning of NZRI, contributes
34% to emissions. This is not surprising as
the country uses coal and gas to generate
electricity. As it is, Malaysia’s installed capacity
of coal-powered plants is a worrying 40% of the
total capacity.
Malaysia’s challenge will be how to
decarbonise its energy-centric economy in the
face of population growth pressures and poverty
outside of urban areas.
Bank Negara Malaysia, the country’s central
bank, is one such player helping to set the pace. Its
Climate Change and Principles-based Taxonomy
(CCPT) does several things, but its principal role is
to help financial institutions push the transition to
a low-carbon economy.
Petronas, Malaysia’s oil and gas producer, has
taken the lead by saying it will go net zero in 2050.
But Malaysia’s economy isn’t driven by giants
alone. The non-giants, otherwise known as small-
and medium-scale enterprises, make up the bulk
of the economy.
ASEAN nations bolster commitments with
renewed call for Climate Action
(Source: ASIA News Network)
ASEAN diplomats renewed their commitment to
the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement
and COP-15, especially the principle of shared
responsibility for responding to climate change,
according to a joint statement released by the
55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and
related meetings hosted by Cambodia.
77
 INGENIEUR
The ASEAN diplomats also said they were in
favour of the ratification of the climate agreement
at the United Nations Conference on Climate
Change COP-26 in Glasgow, UK.
Their statement goes on to note that ASEAN
countries also recognise the importance of
enhancing co-operation, such as capacity-building
and climate finance by developed countries, for
the implementation of the commitments under the
Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact.
ASEAN also looks forward to the global efforts
to be determined at the UNFCCC (COP-27), which
will be held on November 6-18, 2022, in Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt.
The ASEAN foreign ministers have plans to
establish an ASEAN Centre for Climate Change
(ACCC) in Brunei-Darussalam to increase climate
change co-ordination and co-operation among the
member states of ASEAN to increase resilience to
climate change and reduce carbon emissions.
Separately, the Government of Cambodia
said it was strongly committed to tackling climate
change and environmental damage in the region
and the world, despite the Kingdom having low
greenhouse gas emissions both historically and
presently.
Presiding over the opening of the 55th AMM
and related meetings in Phnom Penh on August
3, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the adoption
of an ASEAN Green Deal aimed at pushing the
ASEAN region to gradually move towards a green
future with sustainable, efficient use of resources,
resilience, renewable energy and increased
economic competitiveness.
Carbon Capture should be a bridge to
Net Zero, not a get-out-of-jail-free card
(Source: Upstream)
The still uncharted course of the nascent carbon
capture and storage industry is drawing flak on the
grounds that it could prolong the world’s addiction
to hydrocarbons, but carbon capture storage (CCS)
has a role to play in the energy transition.
As developed economies including the US and
the UK move to establish a legislative framework
to support development of CCS, the stated
objective of reducing emissions from industrial
operations looks like a clear winner.
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A growing number of oil majors have
announced CCS investments and ventures,
while Governments in western countries are
increasingly throwing their support behind carbon
capture.
But questions abound over the efficacy of
CCS in helping to move the needle towards net
zero, and the Biden initiative spurred a heated
debate about the credibility of such technologies.
Critics see carbon capture as the latest trick for a
polluting oil and gas sector to keep doing what it
has been doing while avoiding the kind of overhaul
of the business model that would speed up
decarbonisation.
Much of the uncertainty has to do with the
embryonic state of affairs for CCS today: an
anxious general public reads about huge growth
plans, multiple technologies and billions of dollars
in public support, but only a handful of active
projects offer insight into what this all means.
Proponents will tell you that organisations such
as the International Energy Agency( IEA) have
included carbon capture, utilisation and storage
as part of the technology mix in a sustainable
development and net-zero scenario.
Last year, the IEA stressed that it “has
consistently highlighted the important role of CCS
in achieving net-zero emissions” and the agency’s
net-zero pathway suggests installed capacity
should surge to 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide in 2030, compared with 40 million tonnes
at present.
The IEA clearly states that CCS should be
reserved for sectors where emissions are difficult
to abate, such as steelmaking, cement and
chemicals.
By 2050, fossil fuels are targeted to account
for one-fifth of total energy supply compared with
four-fifths today, so the vast majority of today’s
hydrocarbon production would not exist. The
small share of remaining active facilities would
employ CCS to limit their emissions — as per IEA
guidelines.
From this perspective, CCS doesn’t look like
an all-you-can-eat deal for oil and gas companies.
Rather, it would be a viable approach used only
under specific circumstances for a minority of
fossil fuel assets.
In short, CCS should be a bridge to net zero,
not a get-out-of jail card for fossil fuels.

Sulaiman Road, Kuala Lumpur, 1963
By Cheo Hong Keyong
Photo courtesy of Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia
Selangor developed into one of the most
prosperous states in Peninsular Malaysia during
the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, the
fifth Sultan of Selangor, from 1898 to 1938.
Sulaiman Road in Kuala Lumpur was named after
him. The road was renamed Jalan Sulaiman before
being renamed again to the present Jalan Sultan
Sulaiman.
Jalan Sultan Sulaiman now links Jalan Syed
Putra (formerly Lornie Drive) to Jalan Sultan
Hishamuddin (formerly Victory Avenue) with Jalan
Tun Sambanthan in between.
ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA
Jalan Syed Putra was named after Tuanku Syed
Putra of Perlis, the third Yang Di-Pertuan Agong
who used to reside at Istana Negara, situated at
one end of the road. Jalan Sultan Hishammuddin
was named after Sultan Hishamuddin Alam Shah
of Selangor, the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
REFERENCE
www.Penang-traveltips.com
Wikipedia
79
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