By Ashley Sim & Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 4: Sarawak will offer cheaper carbon storage than Norway and the United Kingdom (UK), says Sarawak Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (Meesty) Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.
According to Dr Hazland, the cost of storing one tonne of carbon in Norway is €90 (Euro) per tonne, whereas it is €75 (Euro) per tonne in London, UK.
“Sarawak will be even cheaper because our technique will be different. We will modify the techniques used by Norway, the UK, and Canada to suit our own environment.
“And then the other thing in relation to carbon trading and carbon storage is that these two are actually the biggest or the most used methods to reduce carbon emissions that are nature-based and technical-based (approaches),” he said during the first panel discussion session at the ‘2023 World Green and Sustainability Summit’ today at a local hotel here.
Dr Hazland explained that the nature-based approach is implemented through forests, mangroves, and peat (swamps) through the carbon trading system.
“But as we all know, carbon trading is not very regularised in the world except in countries which have their own ETS (emission trading system), like in the UK, China, Europe, Australia, Korea, etc. But in Asean, none have that system yet.”
Earlier, he noted that carbon storage can also be carried out onshore through pipelines, and offshore through shipping.
“The carbon dioxide will be liquefied in tanks, transported by the ship and ejected into depleted oil wells.
“Sarawak will make use of the depleted oil wells system because we already have depleted oil wells.
“In total, we have 1,665 depleted oil wells with a potential capacity of 9 billion tonnes, which means that one oil well can store 5 million tonnes of carbon,” he added.
The first session of the Summit focuses on Green Energy, Green Technology—New Challenges, New Breakthroughs, and New Opportunities in Energy Transition—Renewable and Hydrogen Energy.
Themed ‘Building a Better Future Through Green Growth’, the Summit aims to bring together visionaries, experts, and leaders across sectors to drive innovative pathways toward global sustainability. — DayakDaily
