Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg
KUCHING: State-owned Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) is advancing pumped storage hydropower (PSH) studies as a central part of Sarawak’s plans to expand power generation capacity to 15 gigawatts (GW) by 2035.
According to Sarawak premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, PSH would improve grid stability, support renewable energy growth, enable clean hydrogen production and provide the flexibility required for future energy systems.
“A recent study mission to Snowy Hydro in New South Wales, Australia, gave us practical insights into the operation and regulation of large-scale pumped hydro schemes.
“Snowy Hydro’s long experience in cycling water between reservoirs to generate and store electricity is helping to inform our own feasibility studies and discussions with stakeholders in Sarawak,” he said when addressing the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower 2025 hosted by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) at the Unesco headquarters in Paris last week.
Sarawak has identified two potential locations for the construction of the PSH facilities between the Bakun and Murum hydroelectric dams in upper Rejang River basis in Belaga district, Kapit Division, according to Sarawak Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi during his working visit to Australia in August 2024. Another PSH facility has been planned for the Padawan area in Kuching.
SEB owns and operates the 2,400MW Bakun dam and 944MW Murum dam, which supply renewable energy to power energy-intensive industries, like aluminium and ferroalloy smelting plants the Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu.
Julahi sees high potential for the application of PHS in Sarawak, and expects Australia to help integrate the PHS into Sarawak’s energy system.
Abang Johari said the Bakun dam recently became the largest hydropower sustainability standard (HSS) – certified hydroelectic power plant in South-East Asia, underscoring Sarawak’s commitment to responsible development.
Last week, the Bakun dam was awarded the IHA Blue Planet Prize 2025 in recognition to SEB’s commitment to sustainable hydropower development.
In his keynote address themed “Driving the Energy Transition: Sarawak’s Roadmap for Renewable and Sustainable Growth” at the opening plenary of the international forum on pumped storage hydropower, the Sarawak premier said Sarawak plans to attract RM700bil of investments as it positions itself as a RE powerhouse while creating 80,000 new jobs by 2050 under the ambitious Sarawak Energy Transition Policy (SET-P).
He said the SET-P framework, introduced to decarbonise Sarawak’s energy systems while supporting economic growth and social inclusion, rests on seven strategic pillars.
“More than 75% of income gains are expected to benefit low-and-middle income groups, underscoring Sarawak’s commitment to a just and inclusive transition,” he added.
Abang Johari outlined Sarawak’s strategy for a low-carbon, sustainable future as part of the broader Sarawak Post-Covid Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).
“The PCDS 2030 lays the foundation for our energy transition,integrating digital economy, sustainability and renewable energy as core pillars of growth.
“Central to this vision is RE, which we have identified as one of seven key enablers driving the growth our our priority economic sectors,” he said.
The premier said Sarawak aims to maintain at least 60% RE capacity in its energy mix by 2030 through integrating clean energy solutions into the broader economic framework.
“Our target is to have 10GW of generation capacity by the year 2030, known as our ‘10-20-30’ target, which will predominantly be sourced from renewable sources, such as hydropower, solar and biomass energy,” he said.
SEB’s next major hydroelectric project – the 1,280MW Baleh dam – now under construction is expected to be operational by 2028.
Currently, SEB owns and operates a 50MW floating solar farm, and it is expected to scale up its solar energy generation capacity by implementing large-scale floating and ground-mounted solar installations.
Abang Johari said SEB is also advancing studies into cascading run-of-river hydro across several river basins in Sarawak, adding that these assessments have already identified several sites with a combined hydropower generation potential of up to 3GW.
Meanwhile, the premier said Sarawak would want to tap Siemens Energy AG’s cutting edge technology as part of efforts to accelerate the state’s hydrogen agenda and cement its leadership in green energy.
He said his working visit to the Siemens Energy’s headquarters last week opened new opportunities for Sarawak to leverage advanced technologies, particularly in hydrogen production.
Abang Johari cited Siemens’ electrolyser technology capability of producing 350kg of hydrogen per hour as compared to Sarawak’s current capacity of producing 130kg per day as an example.
SEB and the state Utility and Telecommunications Ministry would discuss with Siemens Energy on possible areas of collaboration.
He said apart from the electrolyser technology, Sarawak would be keen to explore cooperation in gas turbines and research development through Siemens’ Innovation Centre, which offers stimulation facilities.
