KUCHING: Sarawak has set an ambitious goal to harness 8 gigawatts (GW) of hydropower potential by 2030 to support growth and accelerate industrialisation.
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Dr Hazland Abang Hipni revealed that achieving this increase in power would involve deploying floating solar panels at all four dams in the state.
“The adoption of floating solar panels is crucial to meet the rising demand for electricity, particularly in the hydrogen industry, which requires substantial power for the process of splitting atoms in hydrogen production.
“This initiative will begin at the Batang Ai dam and subsequently expand to Bakun, Murum and Baleh dams,” he told the media here on Thursday (Aug 3).
Through the implementation of floating solar panels, the electricity power output at Batang Ai dam would nearly double from its current 108 megawatts (MW) installed capacity, he added.
“With the introduction of a 50MW capacity floating solar farm, the power production is expected to reach around 300MW.
“Similarly, the other dams will also experience a substantial increase in green energy generation through the deployment of floating solar panels.”
Dr Hazland highlighted that Sarawak is blessed with abundant hydropower potential, with Bakun boasting a 2,400MW installed capacity since 2011, Murum with a 944MW capacity since 2014, and Baleh, expected to be commissioned in 2027, with a 1,285MW capacity.
