Sarawak plans to establish an office in Abu Dhabi to strengthen cooperation and facilitate upcoming projects in the solar and gas industries, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said.
He said the proposed office would be managed by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) and Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) once the planned projects move forward.
“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 delivering a keynote address at the Sarawak Corporate Leadership Summit on Thursday (Oct 1).
Abang Johari said the proposal was still at an early stage, while the planned solar project was currently 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 developing hydrogen industry, Abang Johari said technological advancements could help reduce production costs and enable the state to expand its customer base.
He acknowledged concerns raised by Global Asia Consulting analyst Samirul Ariff Othman over whether there would be enough buyers willing to pay commercially viable prices for Sarawak’s hydrogen.
Abang Johari said Sarawak had already assessed the risks involved and believed technological improvements could help address the challenge.
“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,” he said.
He added that new membrane technology could potentially help lower hydrogen production costs.
