KUCHING, Sept 26: Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin said that the issue with the hydrogen fuel station in Bintawa which supplies fuel for the three hydrogen buses on trial in Kuching will be rectified soon.
He described the current issue as a “teething problem” as in any research and development (R&D) process.
“During the plant’s performance test, contaminant liquid was detected and the station is now temporarily offline while a team of experts from Linde (Linde EOX Sdn Bhd) work closely with Sarawak Energy to address the issue,” according to Lee in a statement issued here today.
He said the performance test on the three buses was a robust process that provides for checks to be conducted to ensure that matters detected are fixed during the warranty period, and also to resolve any teething issues, which are not uncommon for R&D projects.
“The facility is still under warranty by Linde. Sarawak Energy commissioned the facility, the country’s first Integrated Hydrogen Production Plant and Refuelling Station in the middle of this year. Together with Linde, Sarawak Energy will continue to impose stringent quality control requirements for the facility,” he disclosed.
Lee added that he would check other facilities on the overall project in due time once the issue has been resolved.
According to Lee, Sarawak Energy’s Pilot Hydrogen Production Plant and Refuelling Station was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg as an R&D project in November 2017.
The pilot project was planned as a seeding investment with the potential to be harnessed given Sarawak’s resource opportunities.
Linde EOX Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the Linde Group (a Germany-based company), was selected as the technology partner and system integrator for the pilot project.
The Linde Group is a major global supplier of hydrogen technology solutions with a client base spanning Europe, US, Japan and Korea. The Linde system for hydrogen production has been used in Europe, US, Japan and Korea, with its ground-breaking implementation in Sarawak, which is the first in a tropical environment.
Meanwhile, when asked to comment on Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii’s statement in which he urged the Sarawak government to be transparent over the project’s details, Lee said the government had nothing to hide.
He stressed that at the R&D stage, it would be difficult to come up with the actual cost of the entire project.
“Everything is okay except for the (hydrogen) fuel. It will be rectified,” he said. — DayakDaily
