KUCHING: The Sarawak Government reaffirmed its commitment to driving regional decarbonization and sustainable economic growth at the Asia Tech Forum 2026, highlighting major initiatives spanning clean energy, carbon management, and downstream petrochemical innovation.

Delivering the state's vision, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Sarawak Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni emphasised that sustainability remains central to Sarawak’s long-term competitiveness under the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) and the Sarawak Sustainability Blueprint 2030.

He announced that the state government has recently approved the Sarawak Net Zero Strategy and Carbon Plan, a comprehensive roadmap designed to maintain Sarawak’s net-negative emissions position while supporting heavy industrial development and attracting global green investments.

"Our approach to net zero is not about slowing development. It is about changing how we grow—through cleaner energy, more efficient industries, sustainable infrastructure, responsible carbon management, and greater investment in innovation and talent," Datuk Dr. Hazland stated.

A key highlight of Sarawak's green transition is the Bintulu Transitioning Industrial Cluster (TIC) — Malaysia’s first TIC launched under the World Economic Forum (WEF) framework.

Bringing together over 20 participants at Bintulu and the Samalaju Industrial Park, the cluster focuses on four key pilots this year: smart manufacturing, the Sarawak CCU-H2 Hub, industrial symbiosis, and workforce upskilling.

To address hard-to-abate industrial emissions, Sarawak is positioning itself as a regional Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) hub by offering shared transport and storage infrastructure paired with robust regulatory frameworks.

In the petrochemical sector, Sarawak is exploring downstream investment of approximately US$1 billion (RM4.2 billion) in Bintulu. The initiative involves discussions between Sarawak Petchem, Highchem, and Indorama to develop a high-value circular value chain—converting gas, low-carbon power, and captured carbon dioxide into monoethylene glycol (MEG), paraxylene, and polyester products.

Furthermore, Sarawak Petchem is advancing several low-carbon fuel projects, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) derived from palm oil mill effluent (POME) and agricultural waste, alongside integrating green hydrogen electrolysis into its 5,000 metric tonne per day methanol facility to support marine bunkering. A feasibility study is also underway with PETRONAS Chemicals Group (PCG) for a new low-emission ammonia and urea project.

Datuk Dr. Hazland concluded by inviting international technology providers, investors, and industrial operators to partner with Sarawak in testing and scaling commercial decarbonisation solutions. - UKASnews