KUCHING: The 13th Malaysia Plan's (13MP) focus on positioning Sarawak as a regional sustainable energy hub complements the state's sustainable energy development, says Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni (pic).
The state Deputy Energy and Environmental Sustainability Minister said Sarawak aims to be a leading regional energy hub by developing four key hubs in renewable energy, natural gas, hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
"As part of its Renewable Energy Hub agenda, Sarawak has set a clear target of achieving 10GW of installed power capacity by 2030 and 15GW by 2035, with at least 60% derived from renewable sources," he said.
Dr Hazland also said the development of the Sarawak Hydrogen Hub was guided by the Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap (SHER), launched in May, which outlined the state’s strategy to produce green and blue hydrogen in the short to medium term.
Since green hydrogen depended on renewable energy, he said, the targets in SHER were aligned with the availability of renewable resources.
"This approach ensures that Sarawak can meet its hydrogen production goals without compromising energy security or economic growth across sectors.
"On the other hand, blue hydrogen production leverages Sarawak’s abundant natural gas reserves, which are the largest in Malaysia," he said.
Dr Hazland said the green and blue hydrogen would lay the foundation for downstream applications in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement and heavy transport.
"They also open opportunities for the production of value-added products, including clean ammonia, methanol and sustainable aviation fuel," he added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had named Sarawak and Sabah as regional hubs for sustainable energy when tabling the 13MP in Parliament on Thursday (July 31).
He said initiatives such as the Sarawak Hydrogen Hub and Sabah Energy Supply Guarantee would strengthen the energy infrastructure in both states.
"These efforts will attract high-impact investments, create high-value jobs and promote clean technology development, benefiting the people of Sabah and Sarawak," he said.
