ABU DHABI: The Sarawak government signed a trilateral joint study agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (PSJC) Masdar and clean energy company Gentari to explore the potential for implementing a floating solar project at the Murum Dam.
Under this strategic collaboration, the three parties will conduct a year-long joint study to develop the project, targeting solar power generation of up to 1 gigawatt (GW).
The agreement was signed in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday, where Srarawk government represented, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) was represented by group chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Sharbini Suhaili, while Masdar and Gentari were represented by their respective CEOs, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Sushil Purohit.
The signing was witnessed by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi, State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, and SEB Chairman Datuk Ibrahim Baki.
Abang Johari told a press conference later that the mega project is expected to further boost renewable energy production in Sarawak.
“This is a significant investment that can further enhance renewable energy production in Sarawak.
“This collaboration may enable us to explore other projects that we can develop in Sarawak through economic cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Sarawak,” he said.
He also said if the project succeeds, it would be the world’s first location to produce up to 1GW of energy from floating solar.
“In line with Sarawak’s green energy development, the project will also help Sarawak achieve its goal of producing 10GW of energy by 2030.
“If this materialises, it means we can generate this energy to share with our neighbouring partners. This implies an interconnection exercise that will lead to an Asean Grid.
“What we see in Abu Dhabi with our partners could very well allow us to achieve more than what we have planned,” he further said.
Meanwhile, according to Sharbini, SEB signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Masdar to implement the project during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in 2023.
He hoped that after the 12-month study, the project could be implemented to enable the generated solar energy to be connected to the grid.
“We have identified several locations for installing floating solar, actually four locations. We can generate 600 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts of solar energy,” he said.
Earlier, Abang Johari and the Sarawak government delegation were given a tour of Masdar City, a carbon-free city and leading technology hub in Abu Dhabi.
Also present were Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Hamid Bugo, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar (Dr) Abdul Aziz Dato Husain, and senior state government officials.
