KUCHING: Sarawak is moving forward in pursuing green energy with the launch of an electrolyser assembly and distribution facility, which will boost hydrogen production, says Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
He said the facility would produce electrolysers to facilitate the conversion of water molecules into hydrogen.
"This is a game changer in the process of producing hydrogen because we produce our own electrolysers, which will reduce the cost of converting water into hydrogen," he told reporters after opening the facility at Demak Laut Industrial Park here on Thursday (June 6).
Electrolysers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The Sarawak Electrolysers Assembly and Distribution Facility (SEA-DF) is a collaboration between SEDC Energy Sdn Bhd and PETRONAS subsidiary Lestari H2GaaS.
Abang Johari said the collaboration came about following his visit to PETRONAS' research facility in Bangi in 2022.
"I requested PETRONAS to share this technology with us.
"Subsequently, with SEDC Energy, we are able to build this plant which will not only meet domestic demand but also supply to users outside Sarawak," he said.
Abang Johari also said he would provide funding to SEDC Energy and Lestari to conduct research on reducing the power consumption in producing hydrogen.
He said hydrogen would be used to power autonomous rapid transit vehicles and buses in Kuching's upcoming public transport system.
SEDC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Husain said the facility had an initial capacity to produce 50MW of electrolysers per year.
As a rule of thumb, 50MW of electrolysers can produce 25 tonnes of hydrogen.
"The plant can go up to 75MW and our target is to reach 500MW per year," he said.
Abdul Aziz also said the facility had received orders from outside Sarawak, with 3MW of electrolysers set to be shipped by the end of the year.
"There is a lot of demand for electrolysers as the world capacity to produce them is limited," he added.
