Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg
KUCHING: Sarawak is developing its own hydrogen certification platform in its ambition to become a key hydrogen hub for Asean, says Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the hydrogen certification platform, which will align with international standards to ensure transparency and traceability, would unlock trade, reduce friction and strengthen buyer confidence.
“This platform can be a stepping stone for a broader regional collaboration to potentially establish an Asean level certification platform for hydrogen,” he added in a keynote address on “Sarawak’s hydrogen vision: Catalysing green growth for Asean and beyond “, at the World Hydrogen Asia 2025 event in Tokyo, Japan last week.
The event was themed “Securing Asia’s sustainable energy future with hydrogen and low carbon fuels”.
Abang Johari said the Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap is part of a broader blueprint under Sarawak Sustainability Blueprint 2030 – a whole-of-economy plan to transition Sarawak towards a green, inclusive and resilient future.
“We see hydrogen as a key enabler of this transition, linking clean energy with industrial transformation, trade, innovation and economic diversification.
“Sarawak’s hydrogen journey is already unfolding. Projects such as H2biscus and H2ornbill are advancing through the Front End Engineering Design (Feed) phase,” he added.
Under Project H2biscus, SEDC Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarawak Economic Development Corp, is teaming up with three South Korean companies – Samsung Engineering Co, Lotte Chemical Corp and Posco – to develop hydrogen derivative facilities in Sarawak Hydrogen Hub in Bintulu.
The manufacturing plant project is planned to produce 630,000 tonnes of green ammonia, 600,000 tonnes of blue ammonia, 460,000 tonnes of green methanol and 7,000 tonnes of green hydrogen.
With the exception of green hydrogen which will be for domestic use, the remaining ammonia and methanol will be transported to South Korea for domestic use there.
Project H2ornbill involves SEDC Energy and two Japanese companies – oil firm Eneos and trading house Sumitomo Corp - for the development of two hydrogen producing plants, also in Sarawak Hydrogen Hub.
Combined, H2ornbill and H2biscus could produce 240,000 tonnes a year of green hydrogen, making the Sarawak Hydrogen Hub one of the largest producers of the clean energy globally.
Currently, China is the largest producer of hydrogen, which powers heavy vehicles and some of its industries.
Abang Johari said Sarawak’s approach is driven by five strategic priorities that form the backbone of its hydrogen roadmap.
“First, we are focused on scaling up cost-competitive hydrogen hubs to achieve the economies of scale needed for long-term viability.
“At the same time, we are accelerating domestic applications, particularly in transport and industrial use, to create immediate demand and ensure local value creation.
“Sarawak is also working tirelessly to secure long-term international offtake agreements, providing the confidence investors need to commit at scale,” he added.
In Rembus, Samarahan, Abang Johari said a purpose-built hydrogen plant designed to produce 5,000kg daily, will supply green hydrogen for the upcoming Kuching Urban Transportation System’s autonomous rapid transit (ART) which will power the 38 ART trams and 55 hydrogen feeder buses.
Under Phase 1 (Blue Line), ART is expected to commence operations in stages from fourth quarter 2026.
The billion-ringgit ART system is being rolled out to modernise mobility with zero carbon emission.
In addition, multi-fuel stations, which provides hydrogen for vehicles, are now operational in Kuching.
Abang Johari said another remarkable progress Sarawak has made on hydrogen development is supplying green hydrogen, powered by sunlight and rainwater, to operate the Long Loyang rural health clinic in Marudi, northern Sarawak, around the clock.
This clinic is Malaysia’s first hydrogen-powered hybrid clinic.
“This modular system produces 25 to 30 kilowatt-hour of power daily, enough to support critical equipment, vaccine refrigeration, lighting and life-saving emergency care for over 2,000 residents with clean, reliable electricity.
“What began as an ambitious idea has become a working model of what the energy transition looks like when it reaches everyone, even the last mile,” he added.
Abang Johari said the success of hydrogen economy, especially in Asia, will depend on how well countries work together through regional collaboration.
“We must avoid fragmented efforts and move towards harmonised policy frameworks, shared standards and coordinated investment.”
He said another practical area of regional collaboration is on shared infrastructure.
“Rather than duplicating assets, let us explore co-investments in export terminals, storage facilities, and conversion plants that benefit multiple countries in Asean and Asia Pacific.”
In addition to building facilities, he said countries should also involve in technology and human capital exchange “as shared research and development, joint training programmes and innovation clusters will accelerate our collective transition.”
The Premier said the selection of Bintulu as the site of Malaysia’s first transitioning industrial cluster (TIC) – a prestigious initiative led by the World Economic Forum – places Sarawak on the global map, joining 35 industrial clusters across 16 countries, including 30 port-anchored hubs, representing 66% of global gross domestic product.
“This is a powerful recognition of Bintulu’s strategic potential and Sarawak’s commitment to clean industrial transformation.
“The TIC initiative brings together public and private stakeholders to co-develop innovative, low-carbon solutions, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, spurring green growth and creating future-ready jobs.
“This is where the future of industry begins – where climate ambition meets economic opportunity.
“We are proud that Sarawak will lead Malaysia as the first to chart this path forward,” said Abang Johari.
