KUCHING: Sarawak is awaiting a decision on the cable corridor for its proposed electricity export to Singapore, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said discussions on the power supply arrangement are ongoing, with the transmission route remaining the key issue to be resolved.
“At the moment, discussions are ongoing to supply electricity to Singapore. We are only waiting for a decision on the cable corridor,” he told reporters after officiating the Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference and Exhibition (APGH) 2026 here today.
Abang Johari said the arrangement is currently being pursued through bilateral agreements but is expected to form part of the wider ASEAN Power Grid initiative once a regional framework is established.
“In this context, these are bilateral agreements between countries, but they will form part of a grid network when the time comes, and we are already ready,” he said.
Abang Johari said ASEAN currently lacks a concrete and mutually agreed framework to implement interconnection projects, despite various proposals being discussed, including links from Laos to Singapore and potential routes involving Indonesia and the Philippines.
“There are proposals from Laos to Singapore, and also from us to Indonesia, the Philippines and onward to Singapore, but there is still no clear framework on how to implement interconnection that is acceptable to all parties,” he said.
He said that in the absence of a regional mechanism, Sarawak has moved ahead with bilateral energy cooperation with neighbouring countries as a practical approach.
These include electricity supply to West Kalimantan, equity participation in East Kalimantan through Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), as well as expanding supply to Sabah, with possible onward connections to the Philippines.
He added that discussions with Brunei on electricity supply are also ongoing.
Abang Johari said Sarawak is ready to support regional integration and reiterated the need for ASEAN to adopt a common framework, possibly modelled after the European Union, to manage cross-border energy systems more effectively.
On the next steps, he said the matter remains under the Federal Government’s purview, with ongoing engagements led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation.
Sarawak, he added, is targeting electricity exports of up to 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, supported by its current generation capacity of about 6GW, with potential expansion depending on regional interconnection progress.
