KUCHING: Dedicated gas corridors will be developed under the Sarawak Gas Roadmap to prevent pipeline explosions like the incident in Putra Heights, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
The Sarawak Premier said plans for the corridors were included in the roadmap, which was launched recently.
"The corridor will be a security area and we will gazette it so that no one can carry out unauthorised activities there.
"There must also be a buffer because we don't want a similar occurrence," he told reporters after attending Tupong assemblyman Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman's Raya open house here on Thursday (April 3).
Abang Johari said since the Sarawak Gas Roadmap was still in its initial stages, the state government would ensure that the safety measures were included in it.
"All this will be incorporated in our package planning. There must be a buffer, the area must be large and it must be designated as a gas corridor so that any problems can be detected early," he said.
He also said the Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu would be designated as a security area where housing and public facilities were not allowed.
Launched last November, the Sarawak Gas Roadmap outlines four strategic gas hubs in Miri, Samalaju, Bintulu and Kuching to serve as distribution centres.
Key gas infrastructure projects in the roadmap include the 500MW Miri combined-cycle gas turbine power plant, Samalaju pipeline project, Gas-to-Bintulu project to provide natural gas to Bintulu and Kuching low-carbon hub.
