The East Malaysian State of Sarawak has set an ambitious benchmark to increase its renewable energy production capacity from its current 5.7 GW to 15 GW by 2035. The majority of this existing generation comes from hydropower, which the island of Borneo’s environment has high potential for. As a part of regional power-sharing agreements, excess electricity is transmitted to neighboring Brunei and Indonesia’s Kalimantan Province, demonstrating Sarawak’s role as a regional energy and infrastructure hub on a generally “quiet” island.
Sarawak even has ambitions to begin exporting energy to Singapore and Malaysia’s Johor state via undersea cables within the next 10 years. In addition to the expansion of hydropower facilities, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg has emphasized the role of floating solar as well as green hydrogen power. International agencies of the industry such as the World Energy Council have deemed Sarawak’s 2035 target as daunting yet achievable given the political will and policy groundwork that has been laid out.
Sarawak has been striving in recent years to gain a reputation as an underutilized region which is open to business and development. Its strategic geographic location in the center of ASEAN, richness in natural resources, and young talent certainly make it marketable. US companies with expertise in energy and ancillary infrastructure specifically should take note of Sarawak's potential and policy developments as it strives to take a larger regional role ahead of Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN chairmanship and sustainability initiatives at large.
