By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Aug 11: The Baram DeepTech Energy Programme by Planet QEOS Sdn Bhd aims to create employment for over 3,000 locals while also serving as a catalyst for business ventures and other socio-economic initiatives such as housing and training.
The project, which integrates multi-economic functionality into a solar power plant, will engage directly 650 locals in the first phase while seeking to provide job opportunities for another 2,500 in its second wave of impact involving agriculture and secondary industries.
Planet QEOS executive chairman Dino Bidari told DayakDaily that the company has been seeking collaborative partnerships with like-minded companies for the past two and a half years. The project, he said, is now in its final stages, with remaining details being finalised.
“The project is an integration of solar power production and farming, such as poultry farming and hybrid rice planting. For the solar power production, highly-skilled and well-educated individuals from the local community are needed, while the farming part will require even more manpower, which again will only involve locals.
“This agrovoltaic project is something new, so we are like the pathfinders. With new laws introduced, which were the result of the concerted efforts of different ministries, the project is finally able to be put in place.
“It’s a new industry. Everybody has to get aligned so that we can go forward. That being said, I think everybody has been very helpful. Everybody is looking at Premier’s (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg) vision, and we are all working together to try and make this vision come true,” said Dino.
Meanwhile, CEO of Planet QEOS Dr Gabriel Walter said that while a solar power plant is being built, considerable resources will also be spent to build common infrastructure that will benefit the local population and create secondary economic impacts.
The project, he said, has received approval from Telang Usan assemblyman Datuk Dennis Ngau and Mulu assemblyman Datuk Gerawat Gala, who is also Deputy Minister in Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring). He is optimistic that the local community will welcome the idea, given its numerous benefits and minimal negative environmental impacts.
“The government would like to see this happen as quickly as possible, but the Premier outlined some of the challenges that we are facing in terms of creating the overall ecosystem to make the whole project workable.
“So there’s still some minor challenges to go through, but I think with the strong leadership from the Premier, we’ll see something groundbreaking this year,” said Gabriel while met at the Ministry of Energy and Environment Sustainability’s (MEESTY) Public-Industry Engagement Day and the official launch of Sarawak’s Energy Transition Policy (SET-P) held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching here today.
The same event also saw Planet QEOS exchanging Heads of Agreement worth RM2.32 billion with five strategic partners of the Baram DeepTech Energy Programme, with Abang Johari being the witness.
The Programme will be the first in the world to integrate multi-economic functionality into a solar power plant, a pioneering leap that is set to put Sarawak and Malaysia on the global stage for renewable innovation. — DayakDaily
