By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 1: The Sarawak government is set to establish an office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to facilitate engagements and support investment prospects from Abu Dhabi companies in green renewable energy, including solar and hydrogen, in Sarawak.
Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, announced this initiative following Sarawak’s partnerships with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR) and Mubadala Oil and Gas on clean energy projects.
“The office in UAE will be managed by Sarawak Energy and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros). It will serve as a platform to facilitate engagement not only with MASDAR but also with Mubadala.
“Mubadala is collaborating with Petros and PETRONAS in our efforts to develop the oil and gas industry in Sarawak,” he told reporters after officiating the Gawai Dayak 2024 open house at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
MASDAR, a UAE state-owned clean energy provider, has recently met with Premier to express their interest in investing in and exploring opportunities to develop renewable energy projects in Sarawak, with a particular focus on floating solar.
Mubadala, which currently has operations offshore Sarawak together with PETRONAS, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Sarawak government in December last year to explore collaborations, in particular on the energy and carbon sectors.
Abang Johari emphasised that Sarawak’s positioning as a green renewable energy hub with a long-term plan while addressing global climate change and food security issues is in the right direction.
“For solar, we are now considering not just floating solutions but also elevated land-based approaches, where the land beneath can be used for agriculture.
“MASDAR seems interested in this concept, having implemented a similar project in UAE’s Sharjah, combining elevated solar panels with agricultural development below, using the energy produced for food production. It is a combination of renewable energy and food security,” he explained. — DayakDaily
