KUCHING: Sarawak is targetting to double the amount of electricity it is generating to 10 Gigawatt (GW) - or 10,000 Megawatt (MW) -by 2030, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said today.

Currently, the state is only generating just 5.4 GW which the premier said had enabled Sarawak to provide low-carbon energy with competitive tariffs to investors.

Much of the 10GW power is for sale to neighbouring countries, Brunei, Sabah and Singapore which the state plans to sell 1GW by 2032 via a 700km submarine cable.

State power company, Sarawak Energy is currently undertaking a techno-commercial study with Singaporean partners - Sembcorp and Singapore Power - to explore and assess the viability of the interconnection between Sarawak and Singapore.

The state's only export customer at the moment is West Kalimantan which had signed up for 190MW.

In his Hari Raya Aidilfitri message, the premier said Sarawak's goal is to export energy.

He said the state has potential to generate of 20GW of hydro-electricity much of them in large and long rivers such as the Rajang, Batang Ai, Murum and Baleh.

"Sarawak has vast and sustainable energy resources to share with countries in the Asian region and beyond."

Sarawak's aspiration to become Asia's renewable energy powerhouse will position it regionally and globally as a hub for renewable energy sources and as a hub for transitioning to carbon-free energy use and carbon reduction as the world moves towards "net-zero" by 2050, as agreed upon by the world through the Paris Agreement in 2015, said Abang Johari.

"It will elevate Sarawak globally towards sustainability from various angles, aligning with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations," he added.

The state, he said, would continue to develop its hydro energy potential in ways that have minimal impact on the environment.

He also said he had instructed relevant agencies to study power generation from reservoirs, as practiced in countries like Norway and Canada.

He said if people in Baleh and Kapit give their consent, the first project of this type would implemented at Sungai Gat.

"Sarawak has the resources and capabilities to help solve the problems of countries in this region that lack green energy sources or the capacity to store or absorb carbon dioxide.

"Therefore, the title 'Sarawak Asean Battery' or 'Sarawak Green Energy Hub' is not mere rhetoric or mere dreams.

"Sarawak is ready to provide services and resources to help this region achieve the net-zero goal by 2050, in line with global efforts to avert disaster," he said.

The premier pointed out that ports will be a major cog in the transformation to the green economy,

He said the abundance of energy resources alone, he added, was not sufficient to attract investors if the state is without infrastructure facilities, especially ports.

On March 22, Sarawak signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the federal government to transfer the management of one port not under its control, the Bintulu Port, after 43 years under federal management.

The management and control ofports in the state is a Sarawak right under the Federal Constitution.

The transfer, Abang Johari said, is another success in reclaiming Sarawak's rights.

He also said he believed the redevelopment of the ports will solidify Sarawak's economy to become a leading economy in this region."

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1036250/sarawak-double-electricity-generation-10gw-2030-says-abang-johari