By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 29: France is ready to strengthen cooperation with Sarawak in the energy sector, including hydropower, electricity grids, hydrogen, fuels, carbon storage, and research and skills development.
In a TVS news report, French Ambassador to Malaysia Marc Abensour said Sarawak is a suitable location for discussions on energy transition and security, as the State has its own energy resources and energy transition policy.
“Sarawak is a natural host. It is a State that obtains most of its electricity from rivers and has about 60 per cent of Malaysia’s natural gas reserves.
“Last year, Sarawak became the first State in Malaysia to adopt its own energy transition policy through the Sarawak Socioeconomic Transformation Plan (SETP),” he said in his speech at the Southeast Asian Symposium on Energy Transition and Security 2026 (SEASETS 2026) here today.
He said energy transition could no longer be separated from energy security, particularly following global energy supply disruptions that also affected Asia.
He said France’s approach was to build capabilities through cooperation and joint projects, rather than offering a single model for other countries or regions to follow.
“We are not here to sell a model or ask anyone to choose a particular scale, but to build capabilities through project after project that reduces dependence and strengthens our resilience,” he said.
He added that France brought capabilities in each area and was ready to make a long-term commitment as a reliable partner.
In research and skills development, Marc said France hoped Sarawakian universities and companies could participate in the Franco-Australian Indo-Pacific for Energy Transition (FACET) project, and that more Sarawakian engineers could be given opportunities to train at French laboratories and companies. — DayakDaily
