Peak Oil Malaysia  

Malaysian newspaper "The Edge Daily" considers the question "The hike in oil prices: Peak Oil or price cycle?".

An English friend once remarked that Malaysians live in a paradise. In Europe, if energy supplies are disrupted, people die due to the severity of the weather. No such dire consequence exists here.

Also we are shielded somewhat from the world oil market by our own oil supplies. In other words, a 'Petronas subsidy' that will let us continue our easy lifestyle even in a tight oil market.

But it is important to remember that our oil supplies are limited and not likely to shield us for more than a decade into the future.

So the most important point to be made here is that in a decade, we will be fully exposed to the caprices of the external oil market, and the time is now to use oil monies gleaned from our dwindling reserves to prepare for the future.

Electricity (generated by our abundant gas reserves) will likely rule in the future so a push to maximise both inter and inner city electrical transport must be made now and not later.

It is interesting to speculate if a Malaysian-made car specially designed to run on LNG might negate some of the current bias and disadvantages of using LNG as a transport fuel.

Perhaps some of the current alternative technologies like wind, solar and wave power could be brought into the country as small pilot projects to familiarise our engineers with the technologies that may rise to prominence in the near-future.

Some have accused America for a lack of a coherent energy policy for the future. Is Malaysia any better? Do we have the political will and foresight to create such a plan for a very possible 'end-of-the-oil-age' future or are we going to wait until our hand is forced?