KUCHING: Malaysia needs to establish a regulatory framework for the transportation of carbon dioxide into the country following a growing number of requests from foreign companies seeking to store carbon in Sarawak, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said that he has raised the matter during the National Energy Council Meeting No. 1/2026 chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Parliament Members and Administration Building in Kuala Lumpur today.
He asserted that Sarawak had received applications from companies in Japan and Singapore to store carbon in the state, which has the potential to support Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) activities.
“I raised an important issue for Malaysia, namely the transportation of carbon dioxide because we have received applications from several companies from Japan and Singapore to store carbon in Sarawak. We have the facilities for CCUS,” he said.
He addressed this during a press conference after officiating the Borneo International Water and Wastewater Exhibition and Conference (BIWWEC) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
Abang Johari added that the establishment of a regulatory framework was necessary as Sarawak continues to receive strong interest from foreign companies due to its significant carbon storage capacity.
“We have received many applications for carbon storage because we are one of the largest regions in terms of carbon storage capacity.
“For example, companies from Japan, such as Sumitomo, want to store their carbon in Sarawak waters, but there is no regulatory framework yet. So, how are they supposed to transport the carbon here?” he said.
Elaborating further, he stressed that the issue is a new matter that has been brought to the attention of the federal government so that a coordination mechanism can be established.
“This is a new issue that I have raised with the federal government. We have our own CCUS legislation and we are implementing it, but there must be coordination with the federal government,” he said.
