KUCHING: The tagline 'Sarawak – Asia’s Renewable Powerhouse' is a branding that will raise the name of this Land of the Hornbills on the global stage.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg said the initiative is an effort towards sustainability from various angles in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.
He is confident that the branding can position Sarawak on the regional and global stage as a hub for renewable energy sources besides a hub for the transition to carbon-free energy use and carbon reduction as the world moves towards 'net-zero' by 2050.
"We also have a potential of 20 Gigawatts (GW) from hydro sources with a generation capacity of 5.4 GW at this point which has enabled Sarawak to provide low carbon energy with competitive tariffs to investors.
"Sarawak's next goal is to export energy to Brunei and Sabah and provide 1 GW to Singapore by 2032 through a 700-kilometre submarine cable in addition to channelling the existing 190 Megawatt (MW) to West Kalimantan.
"Currently, Sarawak Energy (SEB) is implementing an energy supply policy of up to 10 GW or 10,000 MW by 2030 through hydro generation and gas turbines," he said in his Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2024 message on Tuesday.
The Sarawak Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability added that the state will continue to develop its hydropower resource potential with methods that have minimal impact on the environment and human life.
"I have given instructions to relevant agencies to study power generation with the concept of energy sources from cascading dams that have been used in other countries such as Norway and Canada. With the consent of the local population, the project will start in Sungai Gat, Baleh, Kapit.
"Other low-carbon energy sources that are also being developed or explored to meet regional needs include the production of green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from algae, floating solar and biomass in the form of pellets from our forest resources," he explained while saying that Sarawak is also ready to provide services and resources to help the region achieve the goal of 'net-zero' by 2050.
In another development, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Zohari also said that Sarawak, as a trading economy with a strategic location in the Asian region, has a bright future to build an economy based on world-class port development.
He said, the handover of Bintulu Port to Sarawak should be seen in terms of integrating ports development in the state as a new strategy to transform its economy.
"The existence of abundant energy resources is not sufficient as a factor to attract the interest of investors without infrastructure facilities, especially ports.
"So far, ports development as a whole has never been seen as an important initiative to drive Sarawak's economy,” he explained. -UKASnews
