Awg Tengah: Trans-Borneo Railway feasibility study underway, set to boost regional connectivity

KUCHING (Oct 18): The feasibility study for the proposed Trans-Borneo Railway project is ongoing, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

He said the proposed railway is set to be one of the mega projects that aligns with the Asean Connectivity 2025 agenda, together with the Pan Borneo Highway, Northern Region Coastal Highway, and the Sabah-Sarawak Link Road.

“Sarawak is also advancing its infrastructure by upgrading ports and airports and plans for a state-owned airline, aiming to further promote seamless travel across the region,” he said, while stressing the critical role of transport connectivity for fostering regional development.

He was speaking during the recent Sixth Chief Ministers, Governors, and Local Government Forum (CMLGF) in conjunction with the 27th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting 2024 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on Wednesday.

The forum focused on cross-border connectivity and promoting sustainable growth across the BIMP-EAGA region.

When pointing out Sarawak’s strategic role in supporting the Asean Power Grid Agenda, Awang Tengah said Sarawak generates 5.75GW of electricity with 70 per cent from renewable energy and aims to expand its generation capacity to 15GW, reinforcing the position as a regional energy leader.

Since 2016, he said Sarawak has exported power to West Kalimantan and is actively collaborating with Indonesia on the Mentarang Induk Hydroelectric project.

“Sarawak is also committed to assisting Brunei Darussalam in achieving its renewable energy target by 2035,” he pointed out.

The Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment reiterated Sarawak’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles.

He said Sarawak has embarked on clean energy projects such as green hydrogen projects, Sustainable Aviation Fuel from microalgae and has updated the regulations for carbon capture and storage and forest carbon activities.

“Sarawak’s blue economy efforts, including Sarawak’s Reef Ball project, which deployed 16,800 reef balls along 746km between 2018 and 2022, was recognised as the world’s longest reef ball barrier by the Reef Ball Foundation of the USA,” he said.

The Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park, for instance, has become a prime eco-tourism site, supporting marine conservation efforts, he added.

As such, he said Sarawak seeks regional cooperation to promote eco-tourism, cultural and heritage conservation as well as adventure tourism, advocating for joint tourism marketing and promotional efforts to position the BIMP-EAGA region as an attractive unified global destination.

Awang Tengah further affirmed Sarawak’s efforts in enhancing food security through agroparks and employing modern farming techniques, which aims to achieve self-sufficiency by cultivating 20,000 hectares of high-yield rice.

He also called for BIMP-EAGA collaboration in the agriculture and halal industry to further strengthen food security.

In human capital development, he said Sarawak is establishing universities and technical training institutions to equip its workforce for future economic opportunities, adding that Sarawak is also positioning itself as a hub for semiconductor and aerospace industries.

Also present at the meeting was Federal Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli.