KUCHING: Sarawak is looking to collaborate with major Korean industries as part of the state’s initiative to develop the hydrogen economy.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said this while thanking a consortium of Korean industries that had shown keen interest to work with Sarawak to produce hydrogen and ammonia.
“Sarawak’s clear policy and vision towards transition to green and clean energy had been the state’s strong point to attract foreign investments in the process of decarbonisation.
“In addition, the state is fortunate to be endowed with rich renewable resources such as hydro power that is an important zero-carbon source of energy to produce green hydrogen.”
He said this in his return address to thank the top management of Korea’s biggest steel maker, POSCO at the conglomerate’s headquarters in Seoul today.
Earlier, POSCO has indicated that it plans to use hydrogen to generate power for its steel manufacturing and much of the supply would have to be imported from other countries, including Malaysia – Sarawak in particular.
Three Korean companies namely, Samsung Engineering Co; Lotte Chemical Corp; and POSCO have signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sarawak government through Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to build a hydrogen plant in Sarawak under the H2biscus Project.
The MoU which was signed in January this year, will see the development of environmentally friendly hydrogen and ammonia at a plant to be built in Bintulu.
The Sarawak H2biscus Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Project will have an annual capacity to produce 630,000 metric tonnes (mt) of green ammonia; 600,000 mt of blue ammonia; 460,000 mt of green methanol and 7,000 mt of green hydrogen.
Today (Sept 7), the Premier will join Korea’s Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Il-Jun to witness the signing of an MOU between Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB), SEDC and the Samsung-POSCO-Lotte consortium.
Abang Johari and members of his delegation flew into the Korean capital on Sunday (Sept 4), with the aim of among other things, enhancing partnership with Korean industries in the field of green energy generation and innovation. The Premier’s delegation include Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Deputy State Secretary Datuk Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel; SEDC chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Hussain and SEB chief executive officer Datuk Sharbini Suhaili.
