KUCHING: Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) does not only cover Samalaju.
Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said SCORE could also be here or in Sibu or in Miri, or wherever the state can bring power and build clean industries because energy-intensive industries do not necessarily have to be concentrated only in Samalaju.
“We can extend the scope of SCORE outside Samalaju to other parts of Sarawak especially the major urban centres.
“On the other hand, we do not necessarily have to concentrate only on energy-intensive industries in Samalaju.
“We can concentrate instead on developing downstream industries in Samalaju,” he said at the official launching of the International ICT Infrastructure and Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (Idecs) 2017.
The Chief Minister pointed out that energy-intensive industries do not necessarily mean heavy industries, saying they can also refer to data warehouses and server farms which also require a lot of energy to operate.
He noted that this is where Bakun and other hydro dams can play a strategic role in powering the digital economy.
“The point to make here is that an economy which has plenty of energy is an economy that has the best potential for growth in the long run. Our challenge now is to harness that great potential for growth using our energy resources,” he pointed out.
Abang Johari further said energy is also crucial in the development of the digital economy, which would create an entirely new dimension of development and growth for Sarawak.
He stressed that building the Digital Economy or Digital Sarawak is one of the two major prongs the state would take to create new jobs for young people in urban centres and rural areas, transforming the way the people live and do business.