KUCHING, Sept 7 — Sarawak is positioning itself to be a commercial hydrogen producer by 2027 thus realising the vision of turning the state into a hydrogen economy.

Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said to achieve the vision Sarawak is taking the necessary measures and rolling out various initiatives to develop the state hydrogen economy.

He said this includes the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Sarawak Energy, SEDC Energy, Samsung Engineering, Lotte Chemical, as well as Posco Holdings in Seoul, South Korea, today.

The MOU aims to study the supply of renewable hydropower for the green hydrogen and ammonia project in Sarawak dubbed H2biscus Project.

In his speech during the signing of the MOU, Abang Johari expressed gratitude to Samsung Engineering, Posco Holdings and Lotte Chemical which he described as the ‘giants’ from South Korea for their investment in Sarawak.

He said this project would not only create economic growth for both countries but become a flagship project for the whole region.

"I am also looking forward to seeing this collaboration develop further, with the anticipation of witnessing the production of Sarawak’s first large-scale green hydrogen ready for export, God willing by 2027,” he said.

A media statement on the visit was made available to the local media, here, today.

Abang Johari and members of his delegation flew into the Korean capital on Sunday with the aim of, among others, enhancing partnership with Korean industries in the field of green energy generation and innovation.

Meanwhile, Abang Johari said he was proud that two of Sarawak’s largest companies; Sarawak Energy and SEDC Energy are playing an integral part to develop Sarawak’s hydrogen economy.

"At this current moment, Sarawak Energy is already producing green hydrogen at their integrated hydrogen refueling facility in Kuching — which I believe is the first South-east Asia.

"SEDC Energy on the other hand, will also start producing green hydrogen at the PETROS multifuel station by the end of this year,” he added. — Bernama