Bintulu able to become sustainable aviation fuel producer

KUCHING: Bintulu has the potential to become the next to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the government plans to scale up the cultivation of microalgae in Sarawak.
 
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the success of the test flight, where an autonomous aircraft powered by SAF flew from Kuching to Langkawi last month, showed that Sarawak is able to produce safe and reliable SAF for commercial use.
 
During the flight, he also had the opportunity to witness how the latest generation of Airbus aircraft, which was only three weeks old, leveraged technology to fly. Hence, there was no device to manually manoeuvre the aircraft.
 
“Thus, I am confident that with advanced technology and (producing) SAF, our future is very bright. Furthermore, the world is turning to a green economy, and Sarawak is leading the way,” he said.
 
Abang Johari was speaking at a dinner with the local community in conjunction with Sarawak’s 60th independence celebration in Bintulu last night (June 10).
 
Bintulu, he said, has been the centre of energy-intensive industries over the decades as oil and gas reserves were discovered off the coast.
 
“Now, it even has the potential to ‘grow oil’, due to the right conditions where there is sufficient sunlight, seawater, and carbon,” he said.
 
Sarawak, he said, was lucky to be blessed with an abundance of resources; however, it is crucial for the multiracial society to remain united in order to move forward and prosper.
 
It is also necessary to ensure the children and younger generations have the knowledge and are trained to master the latest technology so that they have new ideas on how to develop and lead Sarawak in the next 60 years.
 
Apart from that, he said that the civil services must also work as one team to support the government’s policies and initiatives, as well as adapt technology to deliver their services effectively.
 
“As such, I am optimistic that we are going to be a developed and competent region that is able to contribute to the needs and demands of the world,” he said.
 
“Maybe in the future we can also build our own aircraft, as long as we take care of our unity and work hard,” he said.
 
Also present were State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asia Awang Nassar, Minister of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai, State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, and other dignitaries.