KUCHING: Sarawak plans to open an office in Abu Dhabi in the near future to facilitate projects in the solar and gas industries, says Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
He said the proposed office would be managed by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) and Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) once the planned projects get underway.
"We are collaborating with Abu Dhabi on a solar project in Sarawak and discussing with them on the gas industry.
"So we have proposed setting up an office in Abu Dhabi to facilitate closer ties and manage the projects," he told reporters after giving a keynote address at the Sarawak corporate leadership summit here on Thursday (Oct 1).
Abang Johari said the office was still at the proposal stage, while the solar project was undergoing a feasibility study.
"We will wait for the project to be implemented in Sarawak before opening the office, probably in over a year's time," he said.
On Sarawak's emerging hydrogen sector, Abang Johari said he expected technological advances to lower production costs and expand the state's customer base.
He took note of Global Asia Consulting analyst Samirul Ariff Othman's observation that there might not be enough buyers willing to pay commercially viable prices for Sarawak's hydrogen, saying the state had evaluated the risks involved.
"In this connection, I believe technology will reduce the cost. Once the cost is reduced, then you expand your customer base.
"Yes, I agree with (the analyst) that there is a risk, but you have to analyse it and see what technology you will adopt in future," Abang Johari said, adding that new membrane technology could bring down production costs.
