SINGAPORE: Sarawak is committed to supporting Southeast Asia's transition to renewable energy as it has the potential to be the "Battery of Asean", Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said here today.
He said the state was willing to share its predominantly renewable power capacity with its Southeast Asian neighbours through the interconnected Borneo and Asean Power Grid.
"As regional demand for clean energy grows, these efforts are essential for enhancing cross-border energy exchange, strengthening regional security and accelerating the clean energy transition," he said in his keynote address at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).
The premier stressed that making the Asean Power Grid a reality would require more than just technological and financial solutions.
"It will need political will, policy alignment, harmonisation of regulations and standards, infrastructure development and regional cooperation," he said.
Abang Johari said looking at the Asean Plan of Action For Energy Cooperation 2026-2030 period and Malaysia assuming the Asean chair in 2025, Sarawak was dedicated to deepening regional cooperation and fostering greater connectivity across its energy system.
He said Sarawak was actively collaborating with the Malaysian federal government to advance the Asean Power Grid, with the formation of a Joint Task Force between Malaysia and Indonesia to accelerate its development.
"By doing so, we can collectively drive meaningful progress towards a sustainable and resilient energy future for all Asean member states," he said.
Abang Johari said Sarawak was not only focused on providing clean power for its development but it also saw great commercial potential in exporting electricity.
He said Sarawak, with its strong track record in decarbonising its energy system, was poised to play a key role in sharing renewable, low-carbon electricity across Southeast Asia.
He added that Sarawak, learning from its role as an energy producer, exporter and utiliser, was committed to expanding its role to foster cross-border partnerships and investments as its energy transition success stories can serve as models for other jurisdictions.
He emphasised that Sarawak was a strong advocate of regional interconnectivity and foresees that the power trade in Asean will gradually move from bilateral connections to a more integrated network involving renewable sources.
He added that Sarawak's partnerships with Indonesia, Sabah, Brunei and Singapore could lay the foundation for cross-border energy trade through groundbreaking projects like the Borneo-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Interconnection.
He said since 2012, Sarawak had formed a partnership with Indonesia's Perusahaan Listrik Negara in the Kalimantan region, marking a significant step toward regional energy collaboration in Borneo.
"Our initial efforts focused on providing reliable electricity to remote Indonesian border communities through the Sarawak-West Kalimantan Grid Strengthening Project in 2016, marking the first interconnection of high-voltage grids between Sarawak and West Kalimantan.
"Building on this foundation, we are advancing the monumental Mentarang Induk Hydroelectric Plant (MIHEP) in Indonesia, a project that promises to reshape the nation's energy landscape," Abang Johari said, adding that he attended a groundbreaking ceremony, during which the then President
Joko Widodo himself set the project in motion, in 2023.
He said Sarawak will also explore the potential to link North Kalimantan's significant hydropower resources to the rest of Borneo and beyond, adding that the success of Sarawak's first international transboundary interconnection had set the stage for further bilateral projects.