KUCHING: The Sarawak government will implement four pilot projects this year – smart manufacturing, the Sarawak CCU-H2 hub, industrial symbiosis, and a talent initiative – to kickstart the newly launched Bintulu Transitioning Industrial Cluster (TIC).
Sarawak was selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as Malaysia’s first TIC.
Its establishment is through the collaboration of the Sarawak government, Digital Ministry, Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, MyDigital Corp’s Malaysia Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, WEF and industry stakeholders.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the smart manufacturing operation will leverage digital technologies, connectivity and data-driven optimisation to improve industrial productivity and efficiency across the Bintulu-Samalaju industrial corridor.
He said for decades, Bintulu has been at the centre of Sarawak’s industrialisation journey, and is home to one of the world’s largest liquified natural gas complexes.
“Over time, that foundation expanded beyond oil and gas. Through the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), we invested in the infrastructure, energy capacity and industrial ecosystems needed to attract new industries and diversify our economy.
“The development of Samalaju was a key part of that strategy.
“Today, Samalaju (Industrial Park) hosts major energy intensive industries, including aluminium, ferroalloys, petrochemicals and advanced manufacturing.
“Through Score alone, Sarawak has attracted approximately US$20bil in investments,” said Abang Johari when launching the Bintulu TIC at the Borneo Convention Centre here last Thursday.
The Bintulu TIC has secured 23 signatories, comprising industry leaders, investors and partners.
He said Sarawak is prioritising the Bintulu-Samalaju rail alignment as the first phase of the state’s rail development programme.
“Once completed, it will connect the Bintulu Port, Kidurong Industrial Estate and Samalaju Industrial Park into a more integrated industrial and logistics corridor.
“While implementation will be phased, the end goal is clear – evolving Bintulu into a more integrated industrial ecosystem through connected industrial ecosystems and infrastructure.”
He said for Bintulu, joining the TIC network connects Sarawak’s industrial cluster to a global platform of 39 clusters across 20 countries that are working for the future of clean and competitive industry.
Collectively, these clusters represent about US$808bil in economic output, 6.6 million jobs, and 870 million tonnes of potential carbon emissions abatement.
“The significance of the WEF TIC is not simply that Sarawak is the first in Malaysia to participate.
“Its real value lies in connecting Bintulu to a global movement that is redefining how industrial regions grow, compete and decarbonise.
“Industrial clusters are the cornerstone of economies, generating meaningful jobs.
“At the same time, they account for some of the toughest emissions to abate.
“These figures demonstrate that industrial clusters are where the greatest opportunities for rapid, shared decabonisation lie, while protecting industrial competitiveness and accelerating Sarawak’s green growth agenda,” he added.
Abang Johari said the TIC is a coordinated platform to accelerate industrial transformation across the Bintulu-Samalaju corridor, bringing together industry, government, technology partners and financiers under a common framework for action.
It is also one of the enabling initiatives under the forthcoming Sarawak Net Zero Strategy and Carbon Plan, developed through a comprehensive study to chart Sarawak’s decarbonisation pathway.
“Decarbonising industries through the TIC initiative will be an important part to meet Sarawak’s goal to maintain our net-negative position while creating new opportunities for investment, industrial growth and long-term economic resilience.
“To translate ambition into implementation, we have identified four pilot projects that will commence this year.
“The first focuses on smart manufacturing operations.”
The second project is the Sarawak CCU-H2 hub, which he said will explore pathways for large-scaler carbon utilisation and hydrogen production – strengthening the commercial viability of both industries while advancing decarbonisation.
“The third is industrial symbiosis, creating opportunities for companies to share resources, utilise waste streams and improve efficiency through a more circular industrial ecosystem.
“And the fourth is the Bintulu TIC talent initiative, which will upskill and reskill the future workforce needed to support industrial transition, digitalisation and emerging low-carbon industries.
“Because infrastructure and technology alone do not transform economies. People do.”
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo also said the Bintulu TIC is a platform for advancing Malaysia’s ambition of becoming an artificial intelligence (AI) nation.
“In many ways, the Bintulu TIC represents the convergence of Malaysia’s industrial, energy and AI ambitions.
“It demonstrates how emerging technologies can move beyond experimentation and become practical tools for improving productivity, strengthening competitiveness and accelerating growth,” he further noted.
