KUCHING: Supply of piped gas for domestic use in households and business premises will be available in the next seven to eight years, said Energy and Environmental Sustainability Deputy Minister Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.
The Pan Sarawak Virtual Pipeline System mega project undertaken by Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) will lead to the supply of piped gas in Sarawak at an affordable cost.
“The construction of the gas pipelines will connect residential areas and businesses premises to the gas plants,” he said at a press conference after officiating at the Sarawak Oil and Gas Services and Equipment (OGSE) Roadshow 2022 here today.
“There are four main plants planned to be built in Kuching, Bintulu, Sibu and Miri under Petros to produce this gas.
“The standard price of a gas cylinder in Sarawak is around RM28, but it can cost up to three or four times in rural areas such as Kapit, Baram and others due to high transportation costs.
“When this service (pipeline system) is available, it won’t cost too much. With the pipes, nobody can increase the price,” he said.
At the moment, he said, the pipeline system has been enjoyed by the people in Miri.
There was also a pilot project in Mukah that utilised sago waste to produce bio-gas.
The bio-gas is channeled through the pipeline from the Mukah sago waste treatment plant for domestic use in Kampung Teh and Kampung Tabo, in an effort to replace the use of conventional gas.
The pilot project involved two villages consisting over 300 houses, he said.
In line with the state government’s aspiration to harness resources for the sustainable progress of Sarawak, he said the state government would further look into other sources of renewable energy.
“As what the Premier has said before, another option is biofuel from algae. That is still under research, done by Sarawak Energy and a Japanese company,” he added.
