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City of Kuching in Sarawak. (Photo: iStock)
Sarawak, a state abundant in oil resources, is poised to emerge as a hub for clean hydrogen energy. Leveraging its ample hydropower reserves, it seeks to overcome obstacles hindering the fuel's potential elsewhere.
Sarawak's major investment in clean hydrogen
In Kuching, Sarawak is investing $3.4 billion in power-to-transport projects. Fuel-cell buses from China operate freely on city roads, refueling at multi-fuel stations equipped with hydrogen bays. Officials travel in Toyota's Mirai, the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.
Sarawak, equivalent in size to England with a population of 2.5 million, boasts abundant rivers and rainfall ideal for hydropower generation, crucial for producing emissions-free hydrogen. In Kuching, a city of over half a million, hydrogen adoption is more feasible. Sarawak's true potential lies in its ability to facilitate large-scale overseas commercialization of hydrogen.
Globalizing Sarawak's hydrogen remains expensive and complex. Building new infrastructure for gas production, transportation, and utilization is necessary. Due to hydrogen's low density, it must first be converted into another liquid compound for transport.
