Introduction
Borneo is the largest island in Asia comprising of three politically-divided regions: Indonesia (Kalimantan), East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), and Brunei. This report specifically appeals on the need, extent and potential for climate mitigation action in Brunei, the independent Islamic Sultanate located on the northern coast of the island. The report will first discuss Brunei’s national circumstances as a means to justify the need for climate change mitigation, and later highlights the efforts Brunei is currently undertaking that serve to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A proposal on a potential further climate mitigation initiative is explored in the final section of the report. This study report is meant to have implications for Brunei’s future policy exclusively for national efforts aimed at encouraging emission reduction.
NATIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
According to Brunei’s 2015 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Report, it was estimated that Brunei’s total gross GHG emissions in 2010 was approximately 9,488.6 GgCO2e, with corresponding net emissions of 6,612.4 GgCO2e after taking account the contributions of land-use change and forestry activities in CO2 sequestration. This total represents a small percentage of global emission (only 0.016%) when compared to other industrialized and developing economies, owing it to the government’s vigorous efforts in protecting Brunei’s unique tropical peat swamps forests that have been acting as a carbon sink to counter its GHG emissions. However, while Brunei is well-known for its pristine rainforests that covers 75% of its land area, it is also acknowledged as having one of the highest standard of living in Asia due to its oil and gas reserves and production.
Expectedly, a majority of Brunei’s GHG emissions came from the energy sector, which was estimated to be about 93% of the total gross emissions in 2010. Electricity production is the dominant source of GHG emissions under this sector, as currently 99% of Brunei’s electricity is generated from natural gas, emitting approximately 4,176 GgCO2e. This is followed by fugitive emissions from the production of oil and gas for domestic use and international exports (2,955 GgCO2e), fuel consumption in road transportation (1,171 GgCO2e), and energy consumption in construction and manufacturing (450 GgCO2e). Combustion emissions from the residential and other sectors is responsible for 105 GgCO2e. Meanwhile, other emission sources, including emissions from industrial, agriculture and waste management represent approximately 531 GgCO2e.
In addition to being the dominant sector in GHG emissions, more that 60% of Brunei’s GDP is generated by the energy sector as well through the production, processing and exportation of its oil and gas. However, the government of Brunei is aware of the finite nature of its fossil fuel resources, and the unpredictability of energy prices continues to threaten the future economy and wellbeing of the people of Brunei. Moreover, Brunei has acknowledged that the increasing demand and consumption of fossil fuel is also causing the deterioration of the climate system.
Therefore, it is crucial for Brunei to shift away from its dependence on oil to other energy alternatives as a means to ensure the security of future energy supply and to promote a more sustainable and efficient economy. Most importantly, the diversifying of supply mix will mitigate the threat of climate change by subsequently lowering GHG emissions especially if Brunei opts for alternative sources that are renewable and emit zero emissions.
Presently, barriers to climate mitigation in Brunei include the lack of a national GHG inventory which hinders efforts to identify and realize mitigation potentials, as well as the insufficient experience with energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Regardless, the Government of Brunei has made it a national target that by the year 2035 the total energy consumption is reduced by 63%, and the share of renewables is increased so that 10% of the total power generation is sourced from renewable energy.
EXISTING MITIGATION STRATEGIES
Currently, mitigation strategies that have been executed by the Government of Brunei are mainly related to energy security, diversification of supply mix, energy efficiency and conservation, as well as promoting the use of renewable energy. These energy-focused mitigation efforts are being implemented with the aim to drive Brunei’s economy into a sustainable future and to maintain –if not improve– the welfare of its people and the environment. Many of these measures are still undergoing trials and require further research, but are anticipated to lead to substantial mitigation impacts before 2035.
Between 2010 and 2013, Brunei was able to achieve an average of 13.9% reduction in energy consumption following the adoption of these three key energy-related policies:
i. Electricity Tariff Reform
In 2012, a revised power tariff structure was introduced specifically for the residential sector that involves the replacement of post-paid to pre-paid meters. This has effectively encouraged energy saving amongst the public.
ii. The Green Buildings Guidelines
This involves designing social houses under the National Housing Program with green building features such as a rain harvesting system and pedestrian and cycling networks in older housing areas. Moreover, the guidelines also require all buildings of residential and non-residential sectors to retain 10% of the land as green space.
iii. Deployment of Renewable energy
In addition to the efforts to enhance energy efficiency, Brunei’s government has also put emphasis on adding renewable energy sources into the electricity supply mix. In 2010, Brunei has established its first photovoltaic solar power plant that could generate 1,600MWh per year at a 1.2 MW capacity. This mark an important development of green energy in a region where there are still limited experiences with renewable technologies.
A POTENTIAL FURTHER MITIGATION ACTION: WASTE-TO-ENERGY
In addition to solar power, the Government of Brunei is currently exploring the viability of a Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plant. In order to increase the share of renewables in the electricity generation mix, one of the mentioned measures in the INDC report is to utilize the 10-15 MW potential of waste to energy (WTE) resources.
Waste-To-Energy (WTE) is an alternative approach to the landfilling of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and has been considered to be both environmentally and economically beneficial in countries that have large population densities such as China, the U.S, Japan, as well as Germany. It involves the process of controlled combustion of organic waste to recover energy in the form of electricity (and heat) and the most efficient WTE facilities could recover 1000 kWh of electricity per ton of MSW treated. This generated energy is recognized as renewable energy due to the organic composition of the waste input.
Most importantly, WTE is an electric-generating technology that could also be considered as a ‘climate mitigation tool’ as it reduces GHG emissions in the atmosphere while recovering power. Methane, a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, is produced in landfills from the biodegradation of organic waste such as food, paper, wood and textiles.
As claimed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the thermal treatment of organic waste that produce methane in landfills has the potential to reduce overall GHG emissions. At the moment, Brunei has a per capita solid waste output of 1.4kg per day, and 70% of this waste goes directly to Brunei’s six landfills. WTE prevent the accumulation of waste in landfills, and therefore preventing further atmospheric release of methane from the breakdown of waste.
Consequently, the renewable energy generated from local WTE facilities (and solar power industry) will diversify Brunei’s supply away from its dependence on fossil fuels. This way it will also increase Brunei’s flexibility against the possible depletion of oil and gas resources and the instability of energy prices.
Furthermore, establishing a WTE facility would would not only decrease methane emissions but also reduce landfill space in Brunei where land is limited. To ensure a successful launching of a WTE facility in Brunei, it would require expansive execution of supportive policies including the banning of landfills (e.g. Denmark and Japan). The design of the facility should follow some criteria of international examples such as an aesthetic appearance that does not disrupt the surrounding and is accepted by the host community, and has technologies that are able to recover optimal energy and emit little to zero emission. The facility should include other green features such as a rain harvesting system and a green space for a roof that is also covered with solar panels to allow the building to produce its own sustainable supply of power.
CONCLUSION
Brunei has accepted the view that climate change mitigation is a fundamental policy consideration. Since the energy sector will likely to remain the core component of its economy, Brunei’s existing mitigation policies primarily concern this particular sector and has put emphasis on efficiency as well as energy supply diversification. Although lacking in expertise in the area, efforts have been made to researching and investing renewable alternatives for power generation that bear prospects in promoting a more sustainable and flexible energy supply whilst mitigating the impact of climate change on its future generation.