NEWS & UPDATES

KUCHING, 31 MAY 2019, FRIDAY: The recently concluded 2019 World Hydropower Congress in Paris, France provided valuable takeaways, insights and a wealth of shared experiences at global level and its role in a clean energy future for over 700 delegates from around the world.

Organised by the International Hydropower Association (IHA), the biennial congress provides a platform to share experiences showcasing examples of best practices and the guiding policies and strategies of the industry. The 2019 session highlighted hydropower’s vital role in meeting the global carbon reduction targets, building a clean energy future and ensuring responsible freshwater management.

The conference provided a platform for Sarawak Energy to share its journey in hydropower development for renewable and affordable energy for Sarawak and its neighbours through various well-received speakers.

Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Minister for Utilities Sarawak shared on the role of hydropower development in building a sustainable future for Sarawak in the congress’s opening plenary to an audience of over 700 international delegates.

Both management and young executives from Sarawak Energy participated as speakers in the congress focus sessions, presenting on varied topics including hydropower safety, Sarawak Energy’s methodology in measuring greenhouse gas emission at its hydropower plants’ reservoirs, the Group’s sustainability journey and humanising the digital transformation programme.

General Manager for System Planning Leslie Chai shared lessons learnt in delivering Sarawak’s first cross-border interconnection to enable the sharing of renewable resources for mutual prosperity with Sarawak’s neighbours.

Sarawak Energy Leading Women Network Executive Champion Aisah Eden, who is also Sarawak Energy’s Executive Vice President for Corporate Services, led a team to a networking luncheon for women in hydropower organised in conjunction with the congress organised by IHA in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET). This strengthened networking among the female professionals who are in the hydropower industry.

Issues discussed included drivers in addressing gender imbalances in the hydropower sector and promoting gender sensitive action around the energy transition to strengthen the entire industry.

Together with the Minister were Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, Assistant Minister for Rural Electricity, Datuk Liwan Lagang, Assistant Minister for Water Supply and Dato Alice Jawan, Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Utilities Sarawak.

Delegates from the energy developer and power utility include its Chairman Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi, Executive Vice President for Corporate Services Aisah Eden, Executive Vice President for Project Delivery Pramod Karunakaran and Vice President for Business Development Nick Wright as well as Chief Financial Officer Alexander Chin and Vice President for Health, Safety, Security and Environment Marconi Madai.

At the congress, World Wide Fund (WWF) Malaysia representative Belinda Lip and WWF International Dr. Jian-hua Meng met with Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi and Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed to present a WWF book entitled Connected & Flowing: A Renewable Future For Rivers, Climate And People.

The congress included a study tour hosted by Electricite de France (EDF) to the 160MW KEMBS Hydropower Plant, first commissioned in 1932. It is also the first run-of-river energy production site of this scale to be built after Niagara Falls. The EDF Group is a global leader in low-carbon energy covering every sector of expertise, from generation to trading and transmission grids. The Group’s generation portfolio is nuclear, renewable energy, thermal and low-carbon hydrogen.

Sarawak Energy Leading Women Network Executive Champion Aisah Eden (third from left) and the team at the networking lunch for Women In Hydro.

Farah Hanan Tipol from Civil Asset and Infrastructure Hydro Sarawak Energy was one of the presenters during a focus session on Hydropower safety

Hydro Environmental Science Biologist, Dr Jessica Fong shared Sarawak Energy’s methodology in measuring Green House Gas emission from our reservoirs. Together with her in the speakers list were the Chair of Global Environmental Change, UNESCO, Advisor from Hydro- Quebec.

Senior Manager for Sustainability, Mohd Irwan Aman presented on our sustainability journey in the sustainability assessment session.

Generation Operational Excellence’s Engineer, Jasmine Isheak spoke on humanising the digital transformation programme at the session.

Leslie Chai (seated centre) sharing on lessons learnt in delivering Sarawak’s first cross-border interconnection.

World Wide Fund (WWF) Malaysia representative Belinda Lip (centre) presenting a WWF book entitled Connected & Flowing: A Renewable Future For Rivers, Climate And People to Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi, Minister for Utilities Sarawak at the congress. Also seen in the photo are (from left) WWF International Jian-hua Meng, Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi, Sarawak Energy Chairman, and Peing Tajang, Sarawak Energy’s General Manager for Corporate Communication.

Sarawak delegation led by Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi, Minister for Utilities Sarawak, on a study tour to Kembs Hydropower