Awg Tengah: Sarawak seeks conducive ecosystem to woo hydrogen investors

KUCHING (July 29): Sarawak is seeking to create an ecosystem that is more conducive in attracting investors, whether domestic or foreign, in the development of the hydrogen sector, said Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

The Deputy Premier said at present, the state is already working with companies from Japan and South Korea in hydrogen development.

“And so we want to know from the federal government what are the incentives, and for us to create a better ecosystem, which is more attractive.

“This is a new area and we need to focus on this (sector),” he said at a press conference after a meeting of the Joint Committee on Industrial Coordination between Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) and Sarawak government today.

Meanwhile, federal Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who co-chaired the meeting with Awang Tengah, said the federal government fully supports the initiative by Sarawak in the hydrogen sector.

“The only suggestion from Miti is how can we help and work with our agency, Malaysia Automotive Robotics & IoT Institute (MARii), to look at the mobility aspect.

“And Sarawak agreed for us to work together to find policies to help with mobility of this industry,” he said.

On another matter, he said the federal government will work with Sarawak to further develop the semiconductor hub in line with the National Semiconductor Strategy.

“We have the competitive edge because the country, particularly Sarawak, has available green energy,” he added.

Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment, said Sarawak welcomes this initiative and both sides have discussed on how to increase investment in this sector.

“(This is to) create a better ecosystem for the common good (of both Sarawak and Malaysia),” he said.