NEWS & UPDATES

KUCHING
3 NOVEMBER 2020

Sarawak Energy’s emerging regional leadership in renewable energy development saw the corporation represented at the annual Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2020 held recently.

Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili, Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer was part of a high level panel discussion representing the energy sector at the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on System Integration of Renewables.

James Ung, Chief Executive Officer for SEB Power, the Group’s generation arm was a panelist in the “Regional Interconnectivity in The Low Carbon Energy Transition”session at SIEW.

Sharbini’s session entitled “Accelerating Investment in Renewable Electricity Technology and Infrastructure” comprised ministerial delegates and corporate leaders addressing measures undertaken by governments and the private sector to enhance renewable electricity uptake and integration against the backdrop of a global economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The session was moderated by Dr Peter Kaderjak, Minister of State, Ministry of Energy and Climate Affairs in Hungary.

Sharbini spoke of Sarawak and Sarawak Energy’s related efforts while highlighting the lessons learnt from Sarawak’s renewable energy development journey.

Highlighting Sarawak Energy’s role as implementer in delivering the Sarawak Government’s vision of achieving developed status by 2030 through hydro-industrialisation at the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy, he emphasised the importance of multi-sector collaboration in creating a sustainable energy future.

“The year 2020 and the current crisis provides a new set of challenges as well as opportunities. Sarawak is ahead of the curve as we have a strategy, blue-print, identified players and potential markets and most importantly, the understanding of what needs to be done in the development of renewable energy to progress the green agenda in Sarawak and the region,” said Sharbini.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg formed the Sarawak Economic Action Council to develop strategies, policies and roadmaps to accelerate Sarawak economic growth in the face of the current challenges. The Council has fourteen sectors with Sharbini leading the Renewable Energy sector.

Other speakers at the session included Dr Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office & Second Minister for Trade and Industry; Alfonso G. Cusi, Phillipines’s Secretary of Energy; Michal Kurtyka, Poland’s Minister for Climate and Environment; Joao Pedro Matos Fernandes, Portugal’s Minister for Environment and Climate Action; and Timo Tatar, Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Deputy Secretary General. ASEAN was represented by Dato Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN Secretary General.

In addition to Sharbini, non-government speakers invited included Xin Baoan, President for State Grid Corporation of China; Piyush Gupta, CEO and Director for DBS Group; Claudio Facchin, CEO for Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Frank Phuan, CEO and Executive Director for Sunseap Group.

In his session on 26 October, James shared with the audience Sarawak Energy’s Borneo Grid aspiration and interconnection initiatives which he emphasised should be a part of the solution to share electricity generated from renewable resources.

He said, “Sarawak Energy commenced export to West Kalimantan in 2016, marking the first major milestone on the journey towards materialising the vision of a cross border connectivity within Borneo or the Borneo Grid.”

“Sarawak’s shift to hydropower from hydrocarbons about a decade ago has significantly reduced our carbon emission intensity by about 76.5%. Through our existing and planned interconnections, we can share our renewable energy resources with our neighbours and further contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the region as well as improve reliability of the network and bilaterally optimised operation costs.”

Also on the panel were Dr Ith Praing, Cambodia’s Secretary of State, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific or UNESCAP; Dr Akhomdeth Vongsay, Director General for the Department of Planning and Cooperation, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR; and Seth Tan, Executive Director for Insfrastructure Asia.

The session was moderated by Managing Director for Digital Lead Resources South East Asia, Accenture, James Chong.

Themed “Creating Our Low Carbon Energy Future Together”, SIEW2020 was a high-level discourse on global renewable energy solutions convening political, business, academic and energy industry thought leaders to advance solutions and actions across the energy spectrum of oil and gas, clean and renewable energy, and energy infrastructure financing. The conference, held from 26-30 October, was organised as a hybrid event due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, with participants being able to attend physically or virtually.

Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili, Group CEO Sarawak Energy

James Ung, CEO for SEB Power

Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili, Group CEO Sarawak Energy speaking in the session entitled “Accelerating Investment in Renewable Electricity Technology and Infrastructure”.

James Ung, CEO for SEB Power speaking at the “Regional Interconnectivity in The Low Carbon Energy Transition” session at SIEW2020.

Menara Sarawak Energy

Batang Ai HEP