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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 21: Planning is underway to facilitate the development of three identified offshore reservoirs in Sarawak as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) spaces that should position Sarawak at the forefront of CCUS technology within the region when they come into operation before the end of the decade.
Emphasising this endeavour, Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg highlighted the advantageous geographical features of Sarawak’s continental shelves.
He explained that the State’s continental shelves were not too deep with a slight gradient, and would enable the efficient transport of carbon either through barges or ships directly to the reservoirs and to be directly injected onto the onshore land.
“So our cost may be cheaper. While I am not an engineer, I will leave it and entrust the engineers to calculate and see the potential of this carbon storage in reservoirs.
“Our continental shelves are not too deep and if the cost is right, people (investors) will be drawn to Sarawak, a cost advantage area. We learn from others and modify accordingly to create economic attractiveness for investors to choose Sarawak,” he said when officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony of Rosmari-Marjoran Onshore Gas Plant at Tanjong Kidurong in Bintulu today which was broadcast live through Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) social media.
Abang Johari underscored Sarawak’s unique advantages, drawing from his recent visit to Norway, where the Sarawak delegation explored the Northern Lights plant, in which Shell holds a stake.
He noted the logistical challenges in transporting carbon for storage in the deep North Sea, which involved shipping carbon to a jetty for onshore storage and subsequent pipeline transport to reservoirs, incurring high costs.
“They transport the carbon using ships and storing it onshore. After that, it is transported to the reservoir through a pipeline. I observed that the cost is very high,” he explained.
He acknowledged that CCUS is a relatively new field, with the legal framework still incomplete for Malaysia.
Abang Johari and Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni even purchased a book on CCUS-related losses in Dubai to enhance their knowledge on the subject.
“It is crucial to build our competency and technical expertise to deal and engage with industry leaders like Shell and Petronas in this development,” he added.
Shell Malaysia Country Chair and senior vice president Upstream Malaysia Siti Sulaiman, Petronas vice president Malaysia Assets Hasliza Othman, Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, and Minister of Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin were among those present. — DayakDaily
