KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Haji Johari Tun Openg will make an announcement on the fourth of next month relating to the acceleration of the state’s economy.
Before that, he lauded Sarawak Energy for not only supplying power to the state but also for being a partner to the development of Borneo in regards to them working together with West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Abang Johari said that with the power that Sarawak Energy has, the next step was to increase cyber power in the state by increasing ICT infrastructure to attract more quality investments to Sarawak.
“This relates to what will be announced on the fourth of next month, which is another important aspect that will accelerate the growth of the state’s economy,” he said, although he declined to reveal more.
He said this when attending a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between Sarawak Energy and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) at Menara Sarawak Energy here last Tuesday.
Earlier on, a briefing was held which Abang Johari elaborated on, saying that it was for Sarawak Energy to give him a briefing on the development of the state’s energy sector; especially on the roles played by them to provide energy to consumers as well as a platform to attract investors to Sarawak.
“They are also trying their best to mitigate challenges along the way, particularly relating to the power grid whereby factors such as disturbances from animals can cause a blackout.
“They are now doing rectification to this problem whereby they will install another transmission grid,” he said, adding that they are planning on enhancing the state’s infrastructure so that the power supply’s benchmark matches those of others; particularly Singapore.
Abang Johari also spoke on the takeover of Bakun Hydo Dam from the federal government that will enhance power supply by Sarawak Energy to turn Sarawak into a powerhouse. “The takeover is more or less formalised but there are details that need to be worked out,” he said.
The MOU signing ceremony between Sarawak Energy and SFC was to enhance turtle conservation programme and promote ecotourism at turtle landing sites in Tanjung Datu National Park, Pulau Talang-Talang Besar and Pulau Talang-Talang Kecil.
It also included other areas of cooperation with SFC such as to allow Sarawak Energy to evaluate new solar technologies for potential applications at remote and rural areas.
