KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has the potential to become a leader in green hydrogen production through Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (Otec). Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Nasser Abdul Wahid said that the technology could be a game changer for the state's energy sector.
Citing a marine survey conducted by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Abdul Nasser said that Sabah has the greatest potential for Otec throughout Malaysia.
He added that the survey explored the topography and temperature differences of the waters surrounding Sabah, revealing a potential of 20,000 megawatts of Otec energy.
"But assuming that only per cent of this potential has been tapped, there is still a significant amount of energy that can be converted into electricity. And when you have electricity in abundance like that, you can actually generate a lot of other things," he told the media after launching the commission's two online applications at a hotel here.
The commission has initiated a two-year feasibility study on the technology in the east coast area.
Abdul Nasser added that Otec can not only produce electricity but also enable the desalination of water to provide fresh water and facilitate electrolysis to generate green hydrogen.
"We're looking more towards a prime product like green hydrogen. You can generate enough revenue to actually make this a viable business case and develop Otec on a larger scale," he said, adding that building the Otec facilities would cost double that of a hydroelectric power plant.
He noted that a 100-megawatt gas power plant would cost over RM1 billion, while a hydroelectric plant of the same capacity would range between RM2 billion and RM3 billion.
Abdul Nasser said that following the recent passing of enactments related to energy during the state assembly legislative sitting, Sabah has attracted interest from companies in Australia and the United Kingdom. He said there is a demand for green hydrogen among developed countries, including Japan.
"Because when you say green hydrogen, it must come from a green source. For example, there are other types of hydrogen; they call it grey hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas. They don't want that. They want green.
"They want green hydrogen for sustainability and their energy transition agenda. We believe that Otec can be a game changer in the future for off-takers like this and for others to follow in order to obtain green hydrogen based on their hydrogen roadmap agendas," he said.