May 18, 2024, KUCHING, Malaysia: Malaysia is aggressively pursuing hydrogen as a key component of its future energy strategy, aiming to become a hydrogen exporter by 2050.
Sarawak is leading the charge, targeting green hydrogen production and export by 2030, leveraging its renewable hydropower resources. The national Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap (HETR) highlights hydrogen's role in job creation and sustainable growth, targeting 2 million tonnes of hydrogen output by 2030 and 16 million tonnes by 2050.
Sarawak's SEDC Energy is spearheading projects like H2ornbill (with Eneos and Sumitomo) aiming for 90,000 metric tonnes of clean hydrogen annually by 2030, and H2biscus (with Lotte Chemical and Korea National Oil Corporation) planning a 150,000-tonne green hydrogen plant and an 850,000-tonne ammonia facility, potentially starting commercial production by 2028.
The Sarawak Hydrogen Economy Roadmap guides policies and investments through 2035, focusing on downstream industries and consumption. Key challenges include reducing green hydrogen production costs (currently US$7-US$12 per kilogramme) and establishing supportive policies and regulatory frameworks, with Asia-Pacific expected to dominate global hydrogen demand by 2050.