KUCHING: Sarawak is poised to become a global renewable energy powerhouse, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the state is already adding value to its natural resources such as producing hydrogen.
“Sarawak’s strength is energy. That is why we have amended our Land Code to make sure that our geological structure becomes our strength in the new economy which is based on the idea to mitigate carbon and (focusing) on a green economy.
“We have the water to produce hydro(power), hydrogen, floating solar, including cultivation of algae through water and sunlight.
“In other words, in all spectrums of energy, Sarawak has the resources and the only thing is how to innovate it and bring about change to our economy,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the Sarawak Civil Service Innovation Convention Awards (SCSICA) 2022 at Raia Hotel and Convention Centre last night (Oct 21).
Abang Johari, who is also the Minister of Finance and New Economy, said having innovation is important to add value to the state’s natural resources.
“I want to share with you, with the new innovation, we can bypass three steps to produce hydrogen and this is by adopting the methylcyclohexane (MCH) process and it only takes six months.
“This is done by (a Japanese company) Sumitomo and this will reduce the cost of conversion of hydrogen. So, I have requested Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) to work with Sumitomo.
“If we can produce a lot of hydrogen, our (revenue) also increases from the State Sales Tax (SST),” he said.
On another note, he said Sarawak is able to achieve the target as set in the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
“I’m glad you (civil servants) have understood the philosophy and the target of PCDS 2030, it is a very tough and challenging task.
“Mind you, we want to meet the target of Sarawak being a developed state and having a high-income economy.
“Myself, and the rest of my Cabinet have that feeling and confidence that we can do it because we feel that the machinery is there, and the civil service is strong.
“You (civil servants) are innovative and forward-looking. You are the machine and I’m the driver, so I believe you, the civil servant, can do it,” said Abang Johari.
