Sabah Approves Key Energy Enactments, Boosting OTEC Development

The State Legislative Assembly of Sabah approved the new Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Enactment 2024 and Energy Commission of Sabah Enactment (Amendment No. 2) 2024 on 25 April 2024.

Efforts by ASM were pivotal in achieving this milestone. The ASM Vice-President also serves as the Research Fellow and Founding Director of UTM Ocean Thermal Energy Centre Professor, Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar FASc collectively contributed to the success, supported by the ASM Sabah Chapter led by Dr Rahimatsah Amat FASc.

Following a directive from the then MOSTI Deputy Minister, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, to focus on state renewable energy (RE) initiatives, a series of collaborative efforts were set in motion. These included engaging with the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) to facilitate productive discussions. The heavy involvement of ECoS evolved after a special briefing by Professor Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar on the potential of OTEC in Sabah at a meeting on 16 May 2023 at the Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry (MITI) Co-Chaired by MITI Deputy Minister YB Liew Chin Tong and YB Ginger Phoong Jin Zhe, Minister of Industrial, Development & Entrepreneurship of Sabah.

Furthermore, at the ASM Science, Technology, Innovation, Policy Advisory Committee (STIPAC), a paper by Professor Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar advocating for establishing an Ocean Thermal Energy Nasional Berhad (OTENAS) was endorsed. This strategic move aims to pre-empt issues similar to those encountered with the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) concerning territorial waters, underscoring Sabah’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions.