Sarawak woos local talent in aim to be regional green energy hub

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Sarawak state aims to become a regional renewable-energy "power house" over the next decade and is persuading its skilled workforce to return home to help achieve this ambition.

- Lu Wei Hoong Malaysia Correspondent

As such, the state government is offering to make green technology courses, such as hydrogen production and carbon storage, free for locals at state tertiary education institutions, starting in 2026.

"Sarawak will be the powerhouse of Asean. We will connect our renewable energy-sourced power grid to Asean and share a maximum of 1,000 megawatts (annually) with Singapore," said Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg on Oct 19. "We need more Sarawakborn electrical engineers to realise this," he added.

He was speaking at a town hall session attended by about 1,000 Sarawak students at the 15th annual Lan Berambeh Anak Sarawak (Sarawakian diaspora gathering) in Kuala Lumpur.

The plan dovetails with the Borneo state's ambition to produce 15,000MW of green energy annually by 2035 for domestic and overseas use. Sarawak's electricity output was 5,745MW in 2023.

But the East Malaysian state acknowledged that it is short of 300,000 skilled workers needed to meet the required 500,000 by 2030, in particular microelectronics and maritime experts to develop the renewable energy industry.

The maritime experts are needed as Sarawak plans to ship its hydrogen by sea to Japan.

Sarawak Malaysia's largest state by land area has been given more autonomy since 2008 to chart its own political and economic destiny, as allowed under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that led to the formation of Malaysia.