By Amanda L
KUCHING, May 13: A large-scale integrated solar farm under the Baram Deeptech Energy programme is set to anchor the Baram Renewable Energy Economic Zone in Telang Usan with expected spillover benefits for jobs, infrastructure and rural development.
Speaking during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s address at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting today, Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau said the project would be located in Temala, Long Lama within the Baram area.
He said the initiative forms part of Sarawak’s broader clean energy and green economy agenda, adding that Baram had been identified as a suitable location due to its high-elevation terrain and strong solar irradiance potential.
According to Dennis, the Baram Deeptech Energy programme is expected to attract significant private investment while supporting long-term socioeconomic development in the interior.
He said the project would feature what he described as the country’s first firm solar power plant, aimed at strengthening Sarawak’s position in renewable energy and future energy technologies.
“This high-impact project involving huge private investments will not only strengthen Sarawak’s clean energy agenda, but is also expected to bring substantial economic spillover benefits to the interior regions of Baram and Long Lama,” he said.
Dennis added that the development is expected to create employment opportunities, improve infrastructure and support human capital development through the establishment of training facilities related to the energy sector.
He also said the initiative would help position rural areas such as Baram as strategic destinations for green energy investment and technology-driven development.
At the same time, Dennis said another green energy initiative being proposed in Telang Usan involves upgrading the Long Bedian stand-alone power station into a solar and hydrogen hybrid system under a federally funded project.
He said the proposed system would serve about 250 households as well as village shops, water supply systems and government facilities in the area.
Dennis added that many longhouses in the constituency currently relying on the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES) had requested upgrades to hybrid systems to improve electricity supply in remote areas where connection to the main grid remains difficult. — DayakDaily
