@Green September/October 2020 | Page 21

September-October , 2020 | @ green

PERSONALITY

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Malaysia has the technical knowledge and skills in the LNG industry , and we have invested in LNG infrastructure which could lower the cost to migrate to green hydrogen . We are also positioned strategically as we are close to future hydrogen markets like Japan , South Korea , Taiwan and Singapore .”
• Lukanisman
In South Korea , their government released their Hydrogen Economy Roadmap 2040 in January 2019 and within a year , they passed their Hydrogen Economy Promotion and Hydrogen Safety Management Law , to facilitate their hydrogen implementation plan .
South Korea will be another potential significant market within the APAC region for green hydrogen , together with countries such as Japan , Taiwan and Singapore .
The consensus is that up to 2025 , government intervention is needed to support green hydrogen agenda , but post-2030 , green hydrogen should be able commercially viable .
Nevertheless , the speed to achieve commercial viability depends on the level of commitment by government and corporates to drive the green hydrogen economy , carbon pricing , the ability to scale up demand and the urgency given to the climate agenda .
There has been an intense debate on the role of blue hydrogen as a transitional fuel . What are your views on this ? Yes , I agree that there is this ongoing debate is whether blue hydrogen is necessary for the process of the energy transition .
During the green hydrogen webinar organised by SEDA , SEDA posted a similar question to the viewers , and the outcome can be seen in the exhibit below .
We acknowledged we had a high number of participants from the oil and gas sector , and we can conclude that for those in the oil and gas industry , blue hydrogen is strongly supported .
This is understandable as we do have hydrocarbon assets , and these are strategic national assets that we do not want to leave as stranded assets .
Is blue hydrogen necessary in the energy transition ? Multiple choice with single answer
50 %
7.69 %
25 %
17.31 %
Yes
No
Maybe
I don ' t know
With its abundant source of renewable energy , Sarawak can provide low tariffs for electricity , and these two combined made the Sarawak Hydrogen Agenda an attractive proposition . Sarawak has several key competitive advantages as a potential hydrogen producer .”
• Lukanisman
Exhibit 1 : Polling on Relevance of Blue Hydrogen in Energy Transition
What is Sarawak ’ s plan for green hydrogen in the State and SEDA ’ s plan for green hydrogen agenda in the country ? In 2018 , RE already accounted for 78 per cent of Sarawak ’ s energy mix . The ratio is set to go higher . At present , its large hydro plants ’ total installed capacity stands at 3,452MW .
When the Baleh HEP commences operations in 2025 , the State ’ s total installed capacity will then rise to 4,737MW .
With its abundant source of renewable energy , Sarawak can provide low tariffs for electricity , and these two combined made the Sarawak Hydrogen Agenda an attractive proposition . Sarawak has several key competitive advantages as a potential hydrogen producer .
Firstly , it has cheap energy resources . The electricity generation outweighs its domestic requirement . Secondly , most of those resources , mainly hydro , are renewable . Finally , its power reserve margin between 14 per cent and 19 per cent of the annual peak load is either utilised or goes to waste . With abundant clean hydroelectric power resources , Sarawak provides an ideal setting for enabling the Hydrogen Economy in the State .
Therefore , Sarawak has the potential to become a significant exporter of green energy due to its geographical advantage , as the State is located close to existing energyhungry markets . Markets with existing or near-future demand for green energy include Japan , Korea and China .
Sarawak via SEDC intends to establish a solid framework of policies and hydrogen infrastructure development plans , education and promotion , and capacity building to ensure that they can successfully undertake the green hydrogen agenda .
This framework will serve as a guide in achieving Sarawak ’ s aspiration towards a green hydrogen economy .
Hydrogen will become a significant part of the world ’ s energy mix , and Malaysia should take advantage of its natural resources to adopt hydrogen fuel as a strategic asset and become an exporter of this future commodity .
SEDA has been tasked by the Ministry to develop the Renewable Energy Transition Roadmap ( RETR ) 2035 .
For this reason , the RETR has included the green hydrogen plan in the roadmap .
Up to 2025 , Malaysia should have developed a green hydrogen economy roadmap and post 2025 , SEDA should be rolling out green hydrogen strategies and action plan meted in the roadmap .