KUCHING, Nov 21: Sarawak aims to utilise a minimum of 30 per cent of the natural gas produced within the State for domestic purposes, following the approval of the Sarawak Distribution of Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023 in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
With the enactment of the Bill, Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) has been designated as the exclusive Gas Aggregator responsible for procuring natural gas from all sources and ensure the availability of natural gas for distribution and supply to consumers, industries, and potential investors in Sarawak, starting Dec 1.
Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi underscored that Petros Niaga, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petros, will now oversee 100 per cent of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market in Sarawak.
This follows the Sarawak government’s decision not to renew the LPG distribution license of another company, set to expire at the end of this month (November).
“Previously, Petros held a 68 per cent share of the LPG market in Sarawak, with another party controlling the remaining 32 per cent,” he stated during his winding up of the debate on the Bill today.
Highlighting the Sarawak Gas Roadmap, Julaihi emphasised the need for 1,200 mmscf/d of natural gas by the year 2030 for use in the industrial and power sectors within Sarawak.
In a press conference later, he expressed confidence that this legislative amendments will, in the long run, expand the downstream activities and generate additional revenue for Sarawak.
“The GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) government is very futuristic. So please don’t be shortsighted. Shortsightedness only sees what is in front but not forward.
“We need to adopt a forward-looking perspective in order to achieve Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and transform Sarawak into a high-income region for the benefit of all Sarawakians, especially the future generation,” he said. — DayakDaily
