By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 18: The Sarawak government is tabling the Land Code (Amendment) Bill 2022 to enable its control over telecommunications, and carbon emissions and its monetisation which is estimated to rake in revenue of RM3.5 billion per year.
The Land Code (Amendment) Bill 2022 was tabled by Deputy Minister in the Premier of Sarawak’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) here today.
Sharifah Hasidah said the amendment sought to redefine the term “land” to be in line with the definitions under other Malaysian legislations like the National Land Code.
The amendment when passed, will allow the Sarawak government to control the airspace above land, and any property in the airspace including frequency spectrum as well as regulate the erection, maintenance and occupation of any structure in that airspace.
“Spectrum, as defined in the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998, is the continuous range of electromagnetic wave frequencies, up to and including a frequency of 420 terahertz,” she explained.
The Sarawak government after the passing of the Bill, will be able to regulate the spectrum, and used it to establish or improve State-wide telecommunications infrastructure to support the economic transformation of Sarawak.
At the same time, the amendment will also allow the Sarawak government to regulate and control the use of land, onshore and offshore, including the seabed which forms the continental shelf of Sarawak, for the storage, retention, capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases of any form or description.
Sharifah Hasidah pointed out that the Bill if passed, would make Sarawak the first State in Malaysia to have legislation to enable industries, including oil and gas, operating in Sarawak to comply with international requirements, to reduce carbon emission intensity under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
It will create a new industry where carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from industries may be captured, compressed, transported and stored underground or in other secure facilities and be traded to create new income.
The State Planning Authority will be overseeing the development of the industry with the power to approve sites for carbon storage. A licensing system will ensure all rules stipulated based on international protocol and standards will be adhered.
“Carbon storage sties would include depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep unused saline aquifers and deep unmineable coal seams,” the Samariang assembly woman (GPS-PBB) added.
She disclosed that studies have been carried by Petros (Sarawak Petroleum Berhad), Petronas (Petrolium National Berhad), Shell PLC and other oil companies to develop carbon capture, storage technologies and solutions and to create products from it.
“…Sarawak has the biggest carbon storage capacity in Malaysia, estimated at 30 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of storage in offshore areas. Carbon dioxide stored thus could generate carbon credit equivalent up to RM3.5 billion per year when traded in compliance with Carbon Standards recognised or accepted internationally. I would like to stress here that this RM3.5 billion is just our estimates and projection.
“The carbon capture, utilisation and storage industry could also create up to 10,000 new well paid jobs in Sarawak,” she said adding that it was also an estimation.
She said the Land Code (Amendment) Bill 2022 with its amendments are intended to aid, and facilitate the implementation of the State Government’s Post Covid Development Strategy 2030, particularly in relation to the establishment of a state-wide network, of telecommunications infrastructure and services for adoption of digital technology, and the sustainable use of Sarawak’s land and natural resources in line with the Sarawak government’s commitments in taking measures to mitigate climate change and global warming. — DayakDaily
