KUCHING, Sept 23: Sarawak Energy Berhad’s leadership in sustainability and community development initiatives received double platinum recognition at the 12th Annual Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards and Good Governance Awards 2020, announced online on Sept 15.
According to a press release, Malaysia’s largest renewable energy developer and Sarawak’s primary power utility, Sarawak Energy was awarded Platinum under the ‘Excellence in Provision for Literacy & Education’ category for its Belaga Penan Education Fund.
Group chief executive officer (CEO) Datu Sharbini Suhaili was also awarded a Platinum recognition under ‘The Best Chief Executive Officer’ category.
According to a media release, the Belaga Penan Education Fund was set up in 2015 in consultation and partnership with the Penan communities in Belaga to support the needs of the younger generation through education and skills training.
Sharbini received the top award under ‘The Best Chief Executive Officer’ category for his role in driving the Group’s sustainability agenda through initiatives aligned with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Commenting on the awards, Sharbini pointed out that this prestigious international level recognition was made possible with the support and guidance of the Sarawak government and the Ministry of Utilities and the dedication of its 5,200 employees.
“Despite Sarawak’s steady economic development and an industry-driven increase in energy consumption, the development of renewable hydropower to power this growth has seen the decarbonisation of electricity supply, recording a decrease of about 77 per cent in grid carbon intensity since 2010.
“We will continue in our efforts to integrate sustainability in our decision-making as well as how we manage and operate our business as a responsible renewable energy provider, to make sure we build a sustainable energy future for the next generation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Energy senior vice-president for corporate services, Siti Aisah Adenan emphasised that education and young people are vital areas and pillars of its CSR strategy.
“We recognise the importance of education in spurring the growth of the communities in the areas we operate in. We would like to thank the beneficiary communities for their support and cooperation, without whom these initiatives would not be able to run smoothly.
“The Belaga Penan Education Fund is a revolving fund of RM200,000 which was developed with the Bakun Charitable Trust and the Penan community near our Murum HEP and Bakun HEP through early and proactive engagement in line with the International Hydropower Association Sustainability Protocols, as well as the UN SDGs,” she said.
In December 2019, Sarawak Energy together with the Ministry of Utilities organised the inaugural Sustainability and Renewable Energy Forum (Saref) which served as a platform for greater discussion on sustainability and renewable energy and how different stakeholders can work together to deliver the United Nations SDGs by 2030.
The two-day forum saw industry experts and champions of sustainability converging in Kuching to discuss how governments, energy developers, utilities and communities can work together to build a sustainable energy future.
At the 11th edition of the Global CSR Summit and Awards in 2019, Sarawak Energy received Platinum Awards for the “Telang Usan Sape Heritage Programme” and the “Baleh Skills Training Programme” under the Best Community Programme, Empowerment of Women for Sarawak Energy Leading Women Network (SELWN), and for CSR Leadership for driving the company’s CSR and sustainability efforts.
The corporation also received a Gold Award under the Best Environmental Excellence Award for its CSR Solar Project at Tanjung Datu National Park, Talang-Talang Kecil and Talang-Talang Besar.
The Pinnacle Group, which organises the yearly CSR thought-leadership summit and awards, plans to give out this year’s awards at the 13th Global CSR Summit and Awards scheduled to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam in March 2021.
This year, slightly over 300 entries were received from 120 companies all over the world and a final selection of 48 companies were awarded top honours in the 16 main award categories. — DayakDaily
