KAJANG, 21 Mar: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has a solution to reduce the electricity tariff which has now become to the people if they manage to govern Malaysia.

The PAS Vice President, Datuk Husam Musa, said that a government is able to think if they put the protecting the people’s interests as their priority.

Citing Harakah Daily, Husam said that the government could get the closest coal supply from South Sumatra, which has a reserve of 48 percent from throughout Indonesia.

“The energy we want to generate if from coal. South Sumatra is only the other side of the Straits of Malacca.

“If we build this power plant in South Sumatra with a transmission cable, where the coal economy is more expensive from the amount of electricity,” he said.

Husam said that the coal procures at a low price has high calorie count; 6,500 calories.

“We can sell the high (calorie coal) and use the lower (calorie coal), we will save costs,” he said.

He said that the price of electricity will be cheaper and the government can retain the price for the whole of Peninsular Malaysia with this solution.

“Why is the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is not doing this is because they have other interests. So, if we can find a solution for electricity, the all other problems and the country’s economy can be solved,” he said.

Today, Malaysians are paying higher electricity tariffs because the Umno-BN government awarded coal-fired power projects to 1MDB despite rivals offering cheaper prices.

1MDB won the contract with a bid price of 25.65 cents per kWh although YTL Power placed a bid at the rate of 25.23 per kWh.

The people are paying more expensive to 1MDB, a difference of 0.42 cents per kWh and this shows a difference of RM2 billion throughout the 25-years concession period.