KUCHING: Sarawak is doing its part to produce and use clean energy, focusing on renewable energy to drive its economy.
“With renewable energy, we do not have to rely on nuclear energy,” said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Radiation Protection Conference and Workshop 2019 at Pullman Hotel here yesterday.
“We are fortunate that we have enough rainfall and many rivers, so we can build hydro-electric dams,” he said.
Abang Johari said that the latest development was Sarawak’s venture into the production and use of hydrogen fuel, adding that the state already has its very own prototype plant.
“This is the way forward. Sarawak has dams which can produce electricity as well as hydrogen (via electrolysis of water). That is the future of our energy supply,” he said.
The chief minister said that Sarawak was also sharing its energy with its neighbours such as Kalimantan.
“We will eventually have the Borneo Grid,” he said.
Malaysia, he said, was not dependent on nuclear energy as it had many other energy sources.
Nonetheless, he felt that there was a need for the effects of radiation to be explained properly for public education.
“Too much radiation may affect people’s health. However, if it is within certain limits, experts can give credible suggestions,” he said, adding that experts can be sought to ensure that radiation emitted by electronic devices would not have adverse effects on people.
He stated that three sectors usually had radiation effects, namely, telecommunications, service sector such as the healthcare industry, and the manufacturing sector.
With regards to telecommunication, Abang Johari said that a common concern of the public was that when a telco tower was built, the surrounding areas would be adversely affected.
Also present at the function were Malaysian Nuclear Agency director-general Dr Mohd Abd Wahab Yusof, Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) director-general Datuk Hamrah Mohd Ali, and Malaysian Radiation Protection Association (Marpa) president Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamed Hashim.
