KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has the potential to become a leader in green energy generation in the region.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said harnessing energy from the oceans could not only resolve many of the state's power issues, but also supply electricity to other regions, including Indonesia.
"The state government is looking to collaborate with investors to harvest this energy. This is also a golden opportunity for Sabah to become a leader in green energy generation, which can address many of our power issues.
"In the future, we may even supply electricity to our neighbours, such as Indonesia, due to the proximity of our ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) basins to Kalimantan," he said during the launch of the Sabah International Blue Economy Conference here.
In April, the state government passed the OTEC Enactment, enabling the Energy Commission of Sabah to explore the technology as a renewable energy source.
With over 1,700 kilometres of coastline, Sabah contains 75 oer cent of Malaysia's ocean thermal energy reserves.
Studies indicate that Sabah could produce 20,000MW of electricity, which has a low environmental impact and can also generate clean water for drinking and agriculture.
Additionally, it can provide refrigeration and cooling, as well as reliable energy for coastal communities.
Hajiji added that there were 14 components of the Blue Economy to explore, including blue carbon, tourism, maritime transport and marine biotechnology.
"The estimated annual yield of fish and prawns from Sabah's Blue Economy exceeds 491,000 metric tonnes, valued at RM3.25 billion.
"However, to date, less than 50 per cent of the potential catch is being explored. Although there are more than 3,000 fishing vessels, most of them stay within 30 nautical miles from the coast, with only seven venturing into deep-sea areas.
"This is an opportunity for industrial fishermen to establish more processing facilities for deep-sea harvests.
"The autonomy granted to Sabah for approving and issuing licences for maritime activities like deep-sea fishing is a boon for our efforts to develop our Blue Economy."
Present was the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.