Sarawak awaits federal approval on carbon legislation

BY ALLAN JAY & NATASHA JEE

KUCHING: The Sarawak government is looking forward to the passing of the Bill on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) by Parliament in November this year.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that once the law is passed, the transportation of carbon can be implemented.

“We must have a carbon transportation law, which is what the Bill on CCUS will provide. It’s essential to have laws governing how we transport carbon.

“This Bill depends on the federal government. I was made to understand that it will be presented in Parliament in November. If passed, we can proceed,” he said when met by reporters during an event at the Hilton Hotel today (Aug 19).

Abang Johari shared that carbon is a new sector for Sarawak, and the state is waiting for further guidance on regulatory principles.

Drawing a comparison, he said, “Just as we have transport laws for exporting wood and commodities to India and China, we will need similar laws for carbon. It is a minor issue that can be resolved.”

When asked on the collaboration with the World Bank on carbon business valuation, Abang Johari said that the country currently lacks a specific protocol on such matter.

“For now, we reference the London Protocol for the carbon business. The situation is fluid, but there needs to be a standard for evaluating carbon.

“We have engaged the World Bank to gain inputs since they have methods to estimate the value of carbon per ton.

“However, we do not have an acceptable value between the host country and the buyer country,” he said.