Abang Johari launches Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap

New Straits Times

13-05-2025

KUCHING: Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today launched the Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap — a strategic guide that will drive the state's hydrogen agenda through 2035 and beyond.
He said the roadmap will serve as a compass that was designed to navigate both opportunities
and challenges as the state accelerated transformation into a regionally recognised clean hydrogen powerhouse.
"While we have made impressive strides, the journey is far from over," he said in his keynote address at the Hydrogen Economy Forum 2025 here.
He said that scaling hydrogen to commercial levels required massive capital investment, advanced technology, skilled talent, and long-term policy stability.
He outlined the state's ambition to become a regional and global leader in the hydrogen economy by leveraging its abundant natural resources and growing expertise in clean energy technologies.
"Sarawak is not merely adapting to the future, we are shaping it," he said in his address to an audience comprising government leaders, industry players and energy experts.
He emphasised that the forum marked a crucial milestone in Sarawak's journey towards building a sustainable and resilient energy future.
He presented a comprehensive strategy based on four key pillars: renewable energy, natural gas, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and hydrogen.
He said these pillars would guide the state's efforts to diversify its energy mix while driving decarbonisation.
On renewable energy, Abang Johari highlighted Sarawak's strengths in hydropower, solar and biomass, noting its capacity to export electricity to West Kalimantan and plans to expand exports to Sabah, Brunei, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
"Sarawak controls nearly 60 per cent of Malaysia's natural gas reserves and is committed to utilising this resource wisely to support both domestic needs and export-driven industrial growth," he said.
"Our leadership in carbon capture and storage is also significant, with the state holding over 65 per cent of the nation's geological storage potential as a key asset in our national decarbonisation initiatives," he added.
On hydrogen, the premier recalled that Sarawak began investing in green hydrogen as early as 2017, adding: "Today, it leads major projects such as H2ornbill and H2biscus, both progressing towards completion of their Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) by the end of the year."
He announced the establishment of a dedicated hydrogen hub in Kuching to accelerate research, development and investment in this emerging sector, positioning Sarawak at the centre of hydrogen innovation in Southeast Asia.
The premier also referred to the Distribution of Gas (Amendment) Ordinance, passed on November 11, 2024, and enforced on March 1, 2025, which provided a clear legal framework for regulating hydrogen-related activities in Sarawak, including provisions for enforcement, safety and sustainability.
He further revealed plans to launch the Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap, describing it as a strategic compass to guide the state's development and aspirations to become a global leader in clean hydrogen by 2035.
Abang Johari expressed optimism that ongoing technological breakthroughs would continue to reduce production costs. He acknowledged Sarawak's collaboration with Petronas, through which the energy required to produce one kilogram of hydrogen has been successfully reduced from 60kW to just 38kW.
He noted the applications of hydrogen in Sarawak's public transport sector, including hydrogen-powered buses and ongoing test of the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system.