Abang Johari Calls For Sarawak Energy Restructuring To Support Expansion Plans

KUCHING, May 17 (Bernama) -- Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has called for the restructuring of the state-owned power generation and supply company, Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) to support the state's expansion in energy production and supply.

He said SEB's Board of Directors should look into the state's Electricity Ordinance, which governs the utility company, in order to establish a separate entity dedicated to ramp up energy production for the broader market.

"I leave it to the Board of SEB to look into this, and I hope that you (the board) can provide me with a (proposal) paper by the end of this year," he said in his address at the SEB's Vendors Excellence Awards 2025 Night here on Friday.

Abang Johari said the proposed restructuring of SEB aligns with Sarawak's target to generate 10 gigawatts (GW) of energy production by 2030 and 15GW by 2035, as well as working towards achieving the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's aspiration to position the state as the core of the ASEAN energy grid.

"The Prime Minister has identified Sarawak as a central player in the ASEAN energy grid, and we are working towards that," he said.

He added that Anwar had also proposed that Sarawak supply power to the southern part of the Philippines once the mission to supply to Sabah is accomplished by year-end.

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Abang Johari also revealed that SEB is in final discussions to supply electricity to Brunei. Plans are also underway to extend the supply network to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, creating an energy supply loop across the ASEAN region.

He said the regional expansion would open up new opportunities for SEB's vendors to enter other ASEAN countries to meet the growing demand for energy supply, and this requires more talented people.

"This is why professionalism among our vendors is important. Once you reach the standard set by SEB, the job will come to you. It’s also vital that the vendor ecosystem stays in tandem with the expectations of the main employer,” he added.

-- BERNAMA