By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 6: The Sarawak government has pledged seed capital to support the research of PETRONAS’ Iban scientist Colin Patrick, who seeks to further reduce energy consumption in the electrolysis process for hydrogen production at the Sarawak Electrolyser Aseembly and Distribution Facility (SEA-DF) in Demak Laut Industrial Park.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg highlighted that the current the energy consumption for hydrogen production stands at less than 40 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
“With further research conducted in this facility with SEDC (Sarawak Economic Development Corporation) Energy, they could possibly reduce it to 30kWh or even down to 20kWh.
“This will result in a lot of cost savings in hydrogen production in Sarawak,” he told a press conference after officiating the SEA-DF today.
Additionally, Abang Johari emphasised that the energy source used in the process can be shifted to hydrogen from the current hydropower.
He said the SEA-DF, which produces electrolyser pivotal in splitting the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, is a game changer for Sarawak’s pursuit to become a hydrogen production hub in the region.
“Apart from producing hydrogen, we also produced electrolyser ourselves. This facility will contribute to cost efficiency in the conversion process.
“We want to explore avenues to reduce the power consumption further as there could be other components which can become the membrane that could lower the energy consumption in the process,” he said.
With Sarawak stepping up its green energy initiative by not only producing hydrogen but also producing electrolysers domestically, Abang Johari expressed confidence in the SEA-DF’s capability to not only cater to domestic need but also to supply beyond Sarawak’s borders.
Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi, Deputy Minister of Energy and Environment Sustainability Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, SEDC chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr Aziz Hussain, and PETRONAS Malaysia Petroleum Management senior vice president Datuk Ir Bacho Pilong were among those present. — DayakDaily
