People always come first

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YOUR TURN NEXT: Awang Tengah hands over the host’s placard to vice president of China Three Gorges Corporation, Chuxue Lin whose country will be hosting the next IHA World Congress in 2015. — Photo by Chimon Upon

Minister assures Sarawakians their welfare is always top priority in hydropower planning and development

KUCHING: All hydropower projects in the state are planned and developed with the best international practice and social environmental impact assessment (SEIA) studies.

This assurance was given by Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan at the closing of the International Hydropower Association World Congress 2013 (IHAWC 2013) at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) yesterday.

“These SEIA studies play an important role in addressing social and environmental issues in tandem with physical development.

“This is our commitment to our people of Sarawak – that in whatever we do, their interests come first as enshrined in the doctrine of Politics of Development and the Government Transformation Programme agenda,” he said.

Awang Tengah who represented Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud added that by hosting the congress, the state was able to provide an accurate and balanced account of its progress in implementing its ambitious plans for sustainable hydropower development.

He said the state’s positive outlook towards hydropower energy resource had triggered the development of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) which will focus on energy extensive industries, halal hub development and smart city.

“The prosperity and wealth created by the economic opportunities through the implementation of SCORE will be a spectacular example of the transformative capacity of hydropower.

“Ultimately, this will place Sarawak among the high-income states in Malaysia by 2020.”

Awang Tengah added that the state government was happy with the positive feedback from the discussions during the congress which started on Tuesday.

He pointed out that developing hydropower projects around the world had always been very challenging and no single party had all the right answers and each country would have to adapt to the local conditions in harnessing its hydropower resources.