Peninsula can build undersea cables if want power from Sarawak, says Abang Johari 

KUCHING, Oct 7 — Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said peninsular Malaysia will have to build its own cables across the South China Sea if it wants to buy renewable energy from the southern Borneo state.

He said peninsular Malaysians had questioned the Sarawak government’s decision to supply electricity to Singapore but not to states in the peninsula.

“So I said to them that there is no problem for us to supply power to them as long as they are willing to build undersea cables from Sarawak to peninsular Malaysia,” he said at the opening of the 2023 Advancing Asia Economic Forum here.

“We can give assistance to peninsular Malaysia. As you know 40 per cent of their power is based on coal,” he added.

Abang Johari said Sarawak has already signed an agreement with Singapore to supply 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power to the island nation.

“In return, investors from Singapore that need intensive energy can relocate their investment to Sarawak,” he said.

He said that while Singapore has a lot of manpower talent, it is short on land and energy; adding that Sarawak had plenty of what the republic lacked, which is why they chose to work together.

Abang Johari said Sarawak is already supplying power to Indonesia through a hydro dam for its new capital Nusantara that is being built in Kalimantan.

“In other words, we have established engagement and complementary support to Indonesia,” he said. Abang Johari said Sarawak’s power is based on renewable energy, of which 70 per cent is sourced from the Batang Ai, Bakun and Murum dams.

He added the construction on the 1,285MW Baleh dam is ongoing and is expected to be operational by 2028. He said the total energy production from the four dams is about 6,000MW.

“Our power potential from hydro is about 20,000 megawatts,” he said. Earlier in his speech, the Malaysian Hwang Chamber of Commerce president Professor Ng Po Kok said the forum will cover many important topics, including Sarawak’s development blueprint, digital economy, trade and investment, tourism, green economy and sustainable development.