Abang Johari (seventh left) and other Sarawak dignitaries in a photocall at one of the exhibits at the Sarawak Mega Fair in Singapore. – Sarawak Public Communications Unit photo
KUCHING (Oct 16): An agreement in principle has been reached to enable Sarawak to supply renewable energy to Singapore via a special cross-border corridor being developed in collaboration with Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, marking a major step towards positioning Sarawak as a regional green energy hub.
In revealing this, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the mega project will involve the construction of an undersea power transmission cable capable of carrying one gigawatt of electricity from Sarawak directly to Singapore, with technical discussions currently ongoing at the intergovernmental level.
“There is a principle-level agreement that Sarawak will supply green energy to Singapore through a special corridor.
“At the moment, discussions are ongoing between the governments of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to enable the construction of the undersea cable,” he told a press conference after officiating at the Sarawak Mega Fair 2025 at Suntec Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre in Singapore today.
Abang Johari revealed that construction of the undersea cable is targeted to begin by next year at the latest, pending resolution of the global shortage of cable supply.
“We expect the cable issue to be resolved by the end of this year.
“Both Sarawak and the Singapore governments, with the support of the Malaysia government, need to start cable construction by next year at the latest,” he said, adding that Indonesia has also given positive feedback on the project.
Abang Johari highlighted that over 60 per cent of Sarawak’s current energy is generated from hydropower, while the remainder comes from low-carbon gas turbines that are gradually transitioning to renewable sources such as solar and biomass.
Sarawak currently operates four major hydroelectric dams — Bakun, Murum, Baleh and Batang Ai — complemented by floating solar power projects to boost generation capacity.
“Batang Ai Dam currently generates about 100 megawatts of hydro power, and with floating solar, production increases to 150 megawatts.
“Next year, we expect it to increase to 170 megawatts with an additional 120 megawatts from solar energy,” he said.