SIBU (Bernama) — The Sarawak government has formed a special committee to oversee the state’s involvement in the oil and gas industry and green energy following the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with two foreign companies in Dubai recently.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the committee, which would work together with the state-owned oil and gas company Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) and power supply company Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB), is set to make strategic planning to intensify the state’s involvement in the collaboration.
“Petros signed the MoU with Mubadala (Petroleum) while SEB signed the MoU with Masdar. So we are going to have a special committee on the improvement of the MoUs,” he told reporters after officiating the new Selangau District Office and Selangau Riverfront here on Monday.
Mubadala Petroleum, the Abu Dhabi headquartered international energy company, has a collaboration with Petronas in its operation offshore Sarawak while Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based clean energy giant, currently has an investment in Indonesia in floating solar.
The MoUs were signed during the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Dubai early this month.
Abang Johari said Sarawak is being recognised because it has not only net-zero carbon but negative carbon.
“This is a new word, new net-carbon, negative carbon. We are negative carbon, meaning less carbon, more oxygen. So we have that advantage in the world’s platform towards green energy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the premier had also directed the state Public Works Department (JKR) to study the construction of a new access road to Selangau township from the Pan Borneo Highway to enable more people commuting on the highway to go to Selangau and boost economic activities there.
He said an allocation worth RM2 million has been approved for the project and more funds are ready to be allocated if the initial allocation is not enough.
Currently, Selangau is facing a sharp drop in visitors as the present access road from the highway seems unsuitable.
