Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE)

[rizalhakim]

TA Ann to capitalise on Sarawak corridor
Published: 2008/05/27




TA Ann Holdings hopes to capitalise on opportunities in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Areas (SCORE) areas, executive chairman Datuk Abdul Hamed Sepawi said yesterday.

"As a matter of fact, most of our palm oil plantations and reforestation plantations are in the SCORE areas,” he told reporters after chairing the annual general meeting of the country’s largest integrated timber group.

SCORE, which is Sarawak’s regional development corridor, covers an area of 70,700 square kilometres in Bintulu, Mukah, Sarikei, Sibu and Kapit, which is about 57 per cent of the state’s total land mass.

It was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in early February this year.


Hamed said for the 2008 financial year, Ta Ann expects to carry out more expansion, improvements and acquisition of the latest processing facilities to add more values to its products.

"In our reforestation operation, we are looking into planting 5,000 hectares this year, mainly in the Rejang-Ngemah (Sibu Division) area to bring up our total hectarage to 25,000 hectares,” he said.

"For oil palm, we have planted about 18,000 hectares. We hope to achieve a planting rate of 5,000 hectares per year from now so that by 2015 we would have planted almost 55,000 hectares.”

Hamed said the group also hoped to upgrade the processing capacity of its existing crude palm oil (CPO) mills from 30 tonnes per hour to 60 tonnes by year-end as it now has almost 7,000 hectares of matured areas.

A budget of RM115 million had been allocated this year for oil palm development, he said.

On foreign investments, Hamed said the group’s first plywood mill in Yangzhou in China’s Jiangzu Province was expected to deliver its first shipment of container floor by end of this year.

The wholly owned US$15 million mill with a capacity of 50,000 cubic metres is expected to be commissioned in September this year.

"There is a very big and growing market in China and the mill is to satisfy the demand,” he said, adding that its construction had started last month.

On the group’s two plywood mills in Australia, Hamed said construction of the second mill had started in Smithton, northwest of Tasmania.

"This second rotary peeled veneer mill will give us another annual 150,000 cubic metres of eucalyptus logs,” he said.

"Our first mill in Huon, also in Tasmania, is giving us a similar 150,000 cubic metres for production of the environmentally friendly resource, which we will export to feed our mills in Sibu here and in China later.”

He added that the Huon mill had begun operations in November last year and sent out its fourth shipment this month.

On the group’s RM36 million biomass power plant, Hamed said it would be comissioned by end of this month. The plant is capable of generating about 11 megawatts per hour, which will more than sufficient to power the group’s sawmills in Sungai Bidut here, he said.

For its financial year ending Dec 31, 2007, Ta Ann’s revenue increased by six per cent to RM672.99 million from RM636.96 million previously.

Pre-tax profit was RM120.24 million while net profit stood at RM95.43 million. This translated to earnings per share of 45 sen. — Bernama

[rizalhakim]

RM300b worth of SCORE projects confirmed
By STEPHEN THEN


MIRI: Some RM300bil worth of projects from foreign and local investors have already been confirmed for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), less than four months after its official launching.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the state’s offer of cheap and abundant electricity and water, vast land and a highly trainable workforce had attracted the attention of "mega consortiums."

“Sarawak has a huge advantage compared to other parts of the country and these have given us the edge as far as attracting investments are concerned.

“Industrialists look for cheap and abundant supply of energy and water, availability of land and a reliable skilled and semi-skilled workforce, and abundant labour.

“Sarawak has managed to offer all of these. We are not competing with other development corridors in the country because ours is more focussed on energy-intensive industries.

“The information I have received is that we already have RM300bil worth of investments pledged. However, they have not signed the contracts yet,” he said on Tuesday.

SCORE, which stretches 320km from Bintulu to Mukah, was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a few days before the general elections in March.

During the launch, the Prime Minister said that SCORE would eventually bring in up to RM500bil worth of investments and create some 1.6 million jobs over a 30-year period.

On Tuesday Dr Chan, who is state Industrial Development Minister and also Agriculture Modernisation Minister, said among the multibillion-ringgit projects were a crystal-wafer manufacturing plant and those involved in steel and aluminium, and paper and pulp mills.

[rizalhakim]

Sarawak corridor scores with big pledges


MIRI: Some RM300bil worth of projects from foreign and local investors have already been confirmed for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), less than four months after its official launching.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the state’s offer of cheap and abundant electricity and water, vast land and a highly-trainable workforce have attracted the attention of mega consortiums.

“Sarawak has a huge advantage compared to other states,” he said.

“Industrialists look for cheap and abundant supply of energy and water, availability of land and a reliable skilled and semi-skilled workforce and abundant labour.

“Sarawak offers all of these. We are not competing with other development corridors because ours is more focused on energy-intensive industries.

“The information I have received is that we already have RM300bil worth of investments pledged. However, they have not signed the contracts yet,” he said yesterday.

Dr Chan, who is state Industrial Development Minister and also Agriculture Modernisation Minister, said that among the multi-billion ringgit projects were a crystal-wafer manufacturing plant and those involved in steel and aluminium besides paper and pulp mills.

The Prime Minister launched SCORE, which stretches 320km from Bintulu to Mukah, a few days before the general election in March.

During the launch, the Prime Minister said SCORE would eventually bring in up to RM500bil worth of investments and create some 1.6 million jobs over a 30-year period.

[pedang]

Tenaga can lay cables for Bakun project: Minister
Published: 2008/06/26


TNB can request to manage the project, says Second Finance Minister, after Sime Darby's rejection to take a stake in the undersea cable project

TENAGA Nasional Bhd can take up the role of laying the cables from the Bakun hydroelectric power project in Sarawak to Peninsula Malaysia if it wants to, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, said today.

“TNB can request to manage the project, We don’t have any obstacles (but) whether or not the government will approve it, that’s another question,” he said.

“The laying of the cables is important,” he said when asked by reporters if TNB can take up the stake or lay the cables after officiating a business leaders’ forum.

He said the government feels that laying of the underground cables is crucial to optimise hydro power usage and that the government will discuss with TNB and relevant parties to take follow-up action to find alternative ways.



Asked if this was regarding taking up the stake or laying of the cables, he said: “No, its because TNB will be the one using the energy.”

To a question whether the project will be offered to foreign companies, he said: "We have not made a decision yet at the moment, we feel that it would be better for it to be given to local firms (but) we have not closed that option.”

Asked on the operations of the Bakun dam, he said: “That is not an issue as it will be owned by the government and it could continue to so (but) what is important are the underground cables.”

As for the cost of the project reportedly at RM9-10 billion, he said: “We have to make sure costs do not increase significantly. Price increases have to be reasonable, we don’t want any suppliers to quote too high a price and we have to be careful."

He said the government will take action to ensure that prices are fair and reasonable.

As to whether the project could be delayed if the price was too high, he declined to answer, saying it was a policy decision. — Bernama

[nazrey]

Sime Darby pulls out of Bakun project
26-06-2008:
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd has pulled out of the Bakun hydroelectric project, saying that the project economics do not fit in with the group’s business strategy.

Sime Darby said that it has already informed the government that it had decided not to take up the equity interest in Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd (SHSB) nor to participate in the development of the High Voltage Direct Current transmission link (HVDC Link) to supply electricity from the Bakun project in Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia.

“Our board is of the view that the project economics do not fit in with our business strategy. We are withdrawing our proposal to take up an equity interest in the project but will continue in our role as a contractor to complete the construction of the dam,” said its president and group chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid.

He said the decision was taken after a thorough review of the project.

Meanwhile, Bernama cited the Ministry of Finance as saying in a separate statement that the government will take an alternative measure to continue with its project to supply electricity to the peninsula.

“Considering that Malaysia is still facing global challenges where the price of fuel has continued to go up and its supply remaining uncertain, the government will continue with its project to supply electricity from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia. This is in the interest of the country, especially the assured supply of electricity,” the ministry said.

In November 2007, Sime Darby received letters of intent from the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department advising that the government had given an in-principle agreement for Sime Darby to hold a majority stake in SHSB, the owner of the Bakun Dam, and the company developing the HVDC Link (Trans Co).

The letters of intent allowed Sime Darby to begin detailed discussions on the cost of the undersea cable project as well as outline tariff proposals to Tenaga Nasional Bhd.

Sime Darby was supposed to hold a 60% stake in SHSB with Tenaga and the Sarawak state government holding 20% each. In Trans Co, Sime was also supposed to hold 60%, Tenaga 20% and Ministry of Finance, 20%.

The cable project would have involved laying two 700km submarine cables from Sarawak to Johor. The first cable was expected to have been ready for transmission by 2013 and the second by 2015.

The Bakun Hydroelectric Project is located in Sarawak, Malaysia on the Balui River. As part of the project, the tallest concrete-faced rockfill dam in the world would be built. This would also be the largest dam in Asia outside of China. It is expected to generate 2,400 megawatts (MW) of electricity once completed.

The purpose for the dam was to meet growing demand for electricity. However, most of this demand said to lie in Peninsular Malaysia and not East Malaysia, where the dam is located. Even in Peninsular Malaysia, however, there is an over-supply of electricity, with Tenaga Nasional Berhad being locked into unfavourable purchasing agreements with Independent Power Producers. The original idea was to have 30% of the generated capacity consumed in East Malaysia and the rest sent to Peninsular Malaysia. This plan envisioned 730 km of overhead HVDC transmission lines in East Malaysia, 670 km of undersea HVDC cable and 300 km of HVDC transmission line in Peninsular Malaysia.

Future plans for the dam include connecting it to an envisioned Trans-Borneo Power Grid Interconnection, which would be a grid to supply power to Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, and Kalimantan (Indonesia). There have been mentions of this grid made within ASEAN meetings but no actions have been taken by any party.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[nazrey]

Sarawak To Submit List Of Rural Projects To Federal Govt
July 06, 2008 17:18 PM

KUCHING, July 6 (Bernama) -- Sarawak will prepare a comprehensive list of various rural projects that require allocation from the federal government for implementation during the mid-term review of the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) until the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said the comprehensive list contained various data gathered by the residents' and district offices from all the 11 divisions in Sarawak.

"The comprehensive data needs to be handed over to the Federal Ministry of Rural and Regional Development on July 11," he told reporters after chairing a meeting with residents, deputy residents and district officers, here today.

Jabu, who is also the Sarawak Minister of Rural Development, said among the projects that were given priority were the construction of village roads, rural water supply, rural agricultural roads, and rural electricity supply.

He said the comprehensive list included projects that had already been proposed for implementation but had to be shelved due to the lack of allocation.

-- BERNAMA

[rizalhakim]

First railway project for Sarawak


BINTULU: Sarawak will embark on its first-ever railway project to provide a cheaper form of travel for the people and meet the transportation demands of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said a railway system was the most viable and cheapest form of transportation for people and goods.

“This will be the first railway in Sarawak. The main area involved will span Similajau in Bintulu Division and Tanjung Manis in Mukah division. That area comprises 57% of Sarawak.

“The rail project will be a viable alternative transportation in view of the constantly rising cost of fuel and other costs.

“The SCORE project will bring tremendous benefits and opportunities, not only in terms of industries, but also other spin-offs for the people,” he said at the Conference of District Officers and Residents here.

Taib said the Government would be spending some RM67bil to develop basic infrastructure needed for SCORE to proceed.

“We have now obtained up to RM300bil in investment pledges. The majority will be from the private sectors,” he said.

Taib said the SCORE project would also see the development of the coal industry, which Sarawak has more than one billion tonnes in reserves.

“The Federal Government has already allocated RM3bil to kickstart SCORE,” he said.

[nazrey]

Railway for SCORE
By Patrick Joseph

State’s first train in modern era to run in central region, says Taib

BINTULU: Sarawak is to build railway in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) to facilitate development in the growth area, Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said here yesterday.

He said rail transportation would be a cheaper alternative compared with cargo trucks that were presently used.

Opening the Residents and District Officers’ Conference, the Chief Minister said logistics development in the corridor which stretched for 320km from Similajau in Bintulu Division to Tanjong Manis in Mukah Division needed to look at, among other things, the rising price of fuel as SCORE was a mammoth development plan.

Taib, however, did not indicate the cost of the railway project but said its development would go beyond 2020.

The chief minister said SCORE, which was launched by the prime minister in February this year, was to speed up the development of the state’s central region.

According to him, the central region was comparatively lagging behind the northern and southern regions.

Saying that SCORE would be the final phase for the completion of the state’s development, Taib said the corridor was expected to attract about RM300 billion worth of investments in the next three decades.

Of the amount, he said, at least RM230 billion would come from the private sector.

He also said many of the workers and entrepreneurs from the central region had been moving to other places in the state like Kuching or Miri in search of business and employment opportunities, adding that this was a loss to the region.

Taib said the potential for development in the central region were enormous and they included projects relating to aluminium, coal, paper and pulp and oil and gas.

He said oil, agriculture and fishing industries in the region were already bearing fruits and more needed to be done to further expand the industries and the development of corridor would augur well.

Mukah for instance, according to Taib, had a huge reserve of coal that amounted to billions of tonnes and what was needed was good infrastructure and related efforts to extract it.

He also told the divisional residents and district officers in the state to work together in shaping the minds of the people in their area of jurisdiction to prepare them to get the maximum benefits from the development of SCORE.

Touching on education, Taib reminded parents to ensure their children received the right kind of education, possessed the right skills and talents to meet the future demands and challenges.

About 300 people are attending the three-day conference themed ‘Sarawak Corridor Development: Reshaping Human Talents for the Future’ which started Monday.

Housing Minister Dato Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Michael Manyin were among those present during the opening ceremony.

News from Borneo Post
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=38089

[nazrey]

Sarawak to build railway network
By STEPHEN THEN

BINTULU: Sarawak is to embark on a pioneer project to build a railway network, the first ever railway project in this vast state.

The railway project will have a dual purpose - to provide a relatively cheaper yet reliable form of mass transportation for the people, and to facilitate the movement of raw materials and goods for the construction of the projects that will be carried out in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on Tuesday said a railway system is the most viable and cheapest form of fast transportation for massive bulk of both goods and people.

''This will be the first railway in Sarawak. The main area involved will span the (320km) stretch between Similajau in Bintulu Division and Tanjung Manis in Mukah division. That area comprises 57% of Sarawak.

''The rail project will be a viable alternative of transportation in view of the constantly rising costs of fuel and other costs.

''The SCORE project will bring tremendous benefits and opportunities, not only in terms of industries, but also other spin-offs for the people of the state,'' he said at the state-level Conference of District officers and Residents held in this gas capital of Sarawak.

Taib, who is also the state's 1st Finance Minister and state's 1st Minister for Planning and Resources Management, however, did not disclose the cost of the railway project nor the date for the project to commence.

He said the Government will be spending some RM67bil to develop the basic infrastructure needed for SCORE to proceed.

''We have now obtained up to RM300bil in investment pledges. The majority will be from private sectors,'' he said.

Taib said the SCORE project will also see the development of the coal industry, which Sarawak has more than one billion tonnes in reserve.

He noted that up to 20,000 MWs of power will be developed within the next 30 years and during that period, Sarawak will be able to provide cheap and efficient electricity to the people in the state and country.

A RM1.5bil plant to produce halal food will also be constructed in the region, he added.

''The Federal Government had already allocated RM3bil to the state to kickstart SCORE,'' he said

[nazrey]

Spain Mulls Investment Prospects With Malaysian Companies In Score
July 15, 2008 23:45 PM

KUCHING, July 15 (Bernama) -- Spain, a global expert in renewable energy, particularly solar and wind power, is mulling over investment prospects in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), the Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in Malaysia, Antonio Garcia said Tuesday.

Spain, the eighth largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) worldwide, has strong expertise in the field of solar and wind power. It also has excellent technology in coal and hydro power - core energy resources found in abundance in the 70,700 square kilometre SCORE.

"We are also interested in joint ventures in the oil and gas sector, information communication technology as well as biotechnology with the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre," Garcia told reporters after a seminar on "Business Opportunities and New Technologies In Spain - The Evolution Of The Spanish Enterprises" here.

The seminar was organised by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), which acts as a catalyst for investments in the state by providing one-stop advice on business opportunities as well as serving as a joint-venture partner in collaboration with the Spanish embassy.

Spanish companies have to date had identified a few potential Score projects. Some are undergoing feasibility studies.

According to Garcia, he was confident that at least five or 10 Spanish business entities would be investing in Sarawak over the next 10 years.

At present 25 Spanish companies have investment ventures in Peninsular Malaysia. This includes Spain's biggest investment in Asia, the RM5 billion stainless steel project in Johor Baharu being developed by Acerinox.

Spain, with a population of 44 million, is also the world's third largest investor. The country is the world's eight largest economy and sixth in the European Union in terms of gross domestic product ( GDP).

On bilateral trade between Spain and Malaysia, Garcia said, the total volume of RM5 billion was in favour of Malaysia with RM3.5 billion worth of exports, including electronics and electrical appliances, rubber, palm oil, textiles and furniture.

Spain's imports, included chemicals, stainless steel, clothing, food, electronics, medical appliances and products as well as automatic components.

-- BERNAMA

[nazrey]

World's Third Largest Steel Producer Keen To Invest In Sarawak
July 21, 2008 15:55 PM

KUCHING, July 21 (Bernama) -- South Korea-based Pohang Iron and Steel Company or better known as POSCO, the world's third largest steel producer, is keen on investing in Sarawak in view of the vast economic potential in the state.

South Korea Ambassador to Malaysia Yang Bong Ryull, currently on a two-day visit to the state, said detailed discussion on the investment is expected to be held soon.

"POSCO is showing big interest in Sarawak," he told reporters after attending a briefing by Sarawak Energy Bhd senior officials here Monday.

Apart from POSCO, Yang said, several Korean companies have also showed interest in enhancing their business ties with the public and private sector of Sarawak especially in the energy-related and oil palm industries.

While the Korean community in Sarawak is relatively small with an estimated 300 Koreans in the state including those involved in small businesses and over 100 Korean students studying here, Yang said he believed that the potential was high for South Korea and Sarawak to look into areas that will bring mutual benefits.

For example, tourism can be explored further as last year alone a total of 203,000 Koreans visited Malaysia and Sarawak could play a role in wooing more Korean tourists to the state, he added.

-- BERNAMA

[rizalhakim]

Sarawak to build 12 dams to meet future power needs
By TEH ENG HOCK and ROYCE CHEAH





PETALING JAYA: Sarawak plans to build 12 hydroelectric dams to meet its future industrialisation needs.

The move has got environmentalists up in arms, questioning the need for the dams and the planned development of the state. They also suggested that Sarawak's national park may be threatened.

However, Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said the dams were necessary to meet energy demands.



They will be located at Ulu Air, Metjawah, Belaga, Baleh, Belepeh, Lawas, Tutoh, Limbang, Baram, Murum and Linau rivers. The plan will also see an extension to the Batang Ai dam.

All these are in addition to the 2,400MW Bakun dam and will push the total generating capacity in the state to 7,000MW by 2020, an increase of more than 600% from the current capacity.

The plans were in a presentation entitled Chinese Power Plants in Malaysia – Present and Future Development in October last year at the China-Asean Power Cooperation and Development Forum in Nanning, China.

The 48-slide presentation has been made available on the Internet.

Chinese companies were expected to design, build and commission the dams, the presentation said.

The Murum Dam project is scheduled to begin this year with a memorandum of understanding already signed between the Sarawak Energy Board and China Three Gorges Project Corporation.

It also said a detailed study on the Batang Ai extension was already under way while a feasibility study had commenced at Limbang and a pre-feasibility study had started at Baram.

Currently, Sarawak’s energy output is 933MW and it does not need any more energy.

However, there are plans to expand the aluminium-smelting industry in the state which will need the planned output. Furthermore, the Bakun dam’s 2,400MW was originally meant for peninsular Malaysia.

According to media reports, the Sarawak Government has already approved the building of an aluminium smelter by local company Press Metal Bhd.

Others which have shown interest includes China’s Luneng Group, Smelter Asia Sdn Bhd, Alcon Inc, Mitsubishi Corp, BHP Billiton Ltd and Australia’s Rio Tinto.

Centre for Environmental Technology and Development Malaysia chairman Gurmit Singh expressed concerns over the plan.

He said the proposal to build the dams and then look for energy-guzzling industries to use the energy was wrong.

He questioned how the building of the dams were related to the national energy policy.

“This is also a typical example of the ‘not in my backyard’ mentality where a country puts its polluting industries in other countries,” he said.

Salang said the 12 dams were necessary as consumption was projected to increase with the development of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.

He said the dams would only be approved if they passed their environmental impact assessment.

He added that he did not expect the projects to materialise any time soon although the plan was to complete all dams by 2020.

[nazrey]

Sarawak’s 12 dam projects exempted due to Court of Appeal ruling
Monday July 28, 2008
By ROYCE CHEAH
TheStar

PETALING JAYA: The construction of 12 dams in Sarawak does not need to undergo Federal environment impact assessment (EIA) requirements due to a Court of Appeal ruling 11 years ago.

The ruling, pertaining to the Bakun dam project, said the Sarawak Government had jurisdiction over land matters and hence the Environmental Quality Act did not apply in the state.

Centre for Environmental Technology and Development Malaysia chairman Gurmit Singh said this meant the dam projects would follow the state’s environment regulations and could bypass federal laws.

“According to the state’s regulations, EIAs on such projects do not need to be scrutinised by the public,” he pointed out.

Gurmit said that if NGOs or affected stakeholders were to ask for EIAs under such circumstances, it would be pointless.

“It is just like a window dressing. How could we help without knowing what is inside or what the recommendations are?” he asked.

Universiti Malaya Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Law director Prof Gurdial Singh Nijar, who fought the Bakun case on behalf of the indigenous people, said the ruling had indeed set a precedent.

“What this means is that it is a permissible legal route - the state government can take the same route in executing the projects.”

Prof Gurdial and Gurmit were both responding to the plan to build 12 hydroelectric dams in Sarawak that will push the total generating capacity in the state to 7,000MW by 2020 – an increase of 600% from the current capacity.

The dams will be located at Ulu Air, Metjawah, Belaga, Baleh, Belepeh, Lawas, Tutoh, Limbang, Baram, Murum and Linau rivers. The plan will also see an extension to the Batang Ai dam.

Gurmit added that apart from the legislation problem, the concept of EIAs as a whole needed to be re-looked to ensure that it was done independently.

[rizalhakim]

RM800m for rural power, water in Sarawak


KUCHING: Sarawak will use the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) initial allocation of RM800mil for electricity and water supply projects in rural areas.

Public Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said, of the amount, RM400mil was for projects under the Rural Electricity Scheme while the other RM400mil was for projects to supply clean water to 5,000 villages and longhouses in remote areas.

“The geographical factor and location of the longhouses and villages prompted the Government to supply alternative sources of electricity and water to the areas.

“Alternative electricity and water projects are more costly as they involve sophisticated technologies,” he said at the launch of the ministry's website and the new logo here recently.

Sarawak plans to supply clean water to over 70% and electricity to 85% of rural areas by 2010.

Presently, almost all major towns in Sarawak enjoy electricity and clean water.

Awang Tengah said the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) would ensure adequate electricity and water supply to support industries in the area.

“We can generate about 20,000 megawatts of electricity from hydro and other sources like coal and gas.

“SCORE will receive adequate sources of energy,” he said at a memorandum-of-understanding signing between the Public Utilities Ministry and the Construction Industry Development Board, which will provide training to plumbers.

It was aimed at plugging leaking pipes, thus reducing the loss of non-revenue water to 20% by 2015. – Bernama.

[nazrey]

Sarawak Offers Expertise On Development Initiatives With Papua New Guinea
July 30, 2008 00:20 AM

KUCHING, July 29 (Bernama) -- Sarawak is willing to share its expertise on development initiatives, especially on commercial land development concepts, with Papua New Guinea, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

He said the state government offered to send officers to Papua New Guinea to share such inputs as part of efforts to enhance bilateral relations between both Commonwealth members, which shared many common features, including an ancient land code.

"After independence, the land tenure concept was transformed by converting old native customary rights land into commercial estates through the setting up of land banks so as to inject it with economic value and if it works in Papua New Guinea, it will be one of the best transformation in the Pacific islands," he said at a state dinner here Tuesday night in honour of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare's visit to Sarawak.

Similarly, he said, officers from Papua New Guinea were invited to come to Sarawak on exchange programmes because the government believed in the "Prosper thy neighbour" policy to survive in a fast changing world.

He said Sarawak would be intensifying bilateral trade ties by buying the country's vast sago resources through the imports of sago flour when a memorandum of understanding is signed between the Sarawak Land Consolidated Development Authority and Independent Public Business of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Somare urged investors from Sarawak, which had already established its presence in Papua New Guinea's timber industry, to explore investment potentials in his country, which enjoyed a warm and cordial relationship with Malaysia since diplomatic ties were forged in 1976.

He said, at present, there were about 200 Malaysian companies in Papua New Guinea with investments worth US$800 million in agriculture, mainly oil palm, forestry, retail, property development and print media.

The current indication showed that Malaysian investment would reach the US$1 billion mark in five years' time, he said.

Somare, who was confident that his visit here would forge new collaborations, said Malaysia was his country's fourth largest world foreign direct investor and the largest from Asia at the moment.

-- BERNAMA

[nazrey]

Dam Construction In Sarawak Needs EIA Report - State Minister
August 01, 2008 17:28 PM

KUCHING, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- It is mandatory to have an environment impact assessment (EIA) report for the construction of a dam in Sarawak, contrary to claims by environmental non-governmental organsiations (NGOs).

Datuk Michael Manyin, who was appointed urban development and tourism minister in a minor state cabinet reshuffle Friday, said dam construction was a prescribed activity listed under the Natural Resources and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order 1994,

He said the order clearly spelt the mandatory requirement of an EIA.

"An EIA is mandatory for any prescribed activity and the report must be prepared by qualified consultants registered with the Sarawak Natural Resources and Enviroment Board (NREB)," said the former environment and public health minister in a statement here Friday.

Manyin said after completing the EIA report, the consultant must submit it to NREB, a state-owned enviromental protection agency, for review and approval.

"These EIA reports will be reviewed by a group of experts drawn from various stakeholders in Sarawak, and in approving the EIA report, NREB imposes stringent conditions," he added.

On claims that the EIA report does not take the views and interest of the public and affected communities into consideration, he dismissed such notion.

In defending Sarawak's records in protecting and preserving the environment, he said the state goverment had amended the Natural Resources and Enviroment Ordinance to ensure a balance between development and protection of enviromental quality.

A news report last week revealed that the Sarawak Government was planning to build 12 hydro-electric dams in the state to push the total generating capacity to 7,000 megawatts by 2020 � a 600 per cent increase from the current capacity.

The dams will be located in the Ulu Air, Metjawah, Belaga, Baleh, Belepeh, Lawas, Tutoh, Limbang, Baram, Murum and Linau rivers.

The plan will also see an extension to the Batang Ai dam.

-- BERNAMA

[nazrey]

Developing Kota Samarahan As Malaysia's 4th Cyber City
August 02, 2008 20:06 PM

KUCHING, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Kota Samarahan will in future be the country's fourth smart city with efforts underway to draw companies with MSC (multimedia super corridor) status to set up operations there and develop it into a cyber city.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said the Sarawak government was working closely with the ministry to develop Kota Samarahan like Cyberjaya in Selangor, Bayan Lepas High Technoloy Park in Penang and Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah.

"The ministry has the role of encouraging and coordinating investments by interested parties with MSC status," he said after visiting the ministry's exhibition site at Tebingan Kuching here, Saturday.

He said the state government had identified Kota Samarahan as the most strategic area to be developed into the country's fourth cyber city.

Asked on the number of companies which had expressed interest in investing in Kota Samarahan, Ongkili said there were already companies with MSC status in Sarawak which were prepared to expand their operations to Kota Samarahan.

He said the cyber city project for Kota Samarahan had been included in the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, and the ministry was only waiting for the report from the state government on the project.

"We need to know the site cost and about the infrastructure from the report, while the ministry will provide the high-speed broadband facility," he added.

Kota Samarahan, which is about 30km from Kuching city, is also known as a knowledge city as the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Teknologi Mara campuses are located there.

-- BERNAMA

[nazrey]

Score to create 1.5 million jobs
Wednesday August 6, 2008 MYT 3:40:07 PM
By SHARON LING
TheStar

KUCHING: The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) will create some 1.5 million job opportunities when it is fully up and running.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said Score’s manpower requirements included 70,000 in managerial and professional jobs, 140,000 engineers and technicians, 340,000 in semi-skilled labour and 945,000 in unskilled labour by 2030.

“We have over 20 years to achieve this but we have to start right now. Vocational and technical education will have to be intensified for Sarawak to meet its manpower needs,” he said Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of the 3rd Asia Pacific Technical Human Resource Development Conference and Career Expo here, Taib said Sarawak would have to rely on expatriate labour initially while developing its own manpower resources to meet the needs of Score.

“As we develop, we will have to train people to undertake bigger jobs and to be versatile as our industrial base becomes bigger,” he said.

He called on training providers to work together with employers in order to produce skilled workers for Score’s 10 key sectors, including oil and gas, aluminium, steel, glass and tourism.

The two-day conference was organised by the International College of Advanced Technology Sarawak (ICATS) to promote technical and vocational education in the region.

[rizalhakim]

1.5 million jobs by 2030


KUCHING: The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) will create some 1.5 million job opportunities when it is fully up and running.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said Score’s manpower requirements included 70,000 in managerial and professional jobs, 140,000 engineers and technicians, 340,000 in semi-skilled labour and 945,000 in unskilled labour by 2030.

“We have over 20 years to achieve this but we have to start right now. Vocational and technical education will have to be intensified for Sarawak to meet its manpower needs,” he said yesterday.

Speaking at the opening of the 3rd Asia Pacific Technical Human Resource Development Conference and Career Expo here, Taib said Sarawak would have to rely on expatriate labour initially while developing its own manpower resources to meet the needs of Score.

“As we develop in the future, we will have to train people to undertake bigger jobs and to be versatile as our industrial base becomes bigger,” he said.

He called on training providers to work together with employers in order to produce skilled workers for Score’s 10 key sectors, including oil and gas, aluminium, steel, glass and tourism.

The two-day conference was organised by the International College of Advanced Technology Sarawak to promote technical and vocational education in the region.

[nazrey]

Dams will benefit Sarawak, says Wong
NST Online » Local News
2008/08/08

KUCHING: The state government is not perturbed over objections to its plan to build hydroelectric dams.
State Public Health and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh said the government was aware of the importance of environmental conservation and would strike a balance between the state's future and its environment.

"Obviously, the opposition has its version of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which differs from ours. Bear in mind we know exactly what we are doing. And what we are doing is for the benefit of Sarawak. There is no reason for us to destroy the state's environment," he said after receiving a courtesy call from Kuching South mayor James Chan at Bangunan Maitulmakmur yesterday.

The state's plan to build 12 hydroelectric dams over the next 20 years has received criticism from non-governmental organisations and opposition parties.

On Wednesday, state Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief Dominique Ng had asked the government to be transparent and to release EIA reports related to the dams.
Asked to comment on Ng's statement, Wong said the EIA report had yet to be completed. He also questioned the need for the report to be made public as it contained classified information.

Last week, the state cabinet had agreed in principle on the building of the RM3 billion 940mW Murum Dam in Upper Baram division. The project is set to be awarded to China Three Gorges Project Corporation, which built the famous Three Gorges Dam.