THREE Chinese-made hydrogen-powered buses will begin a street trial in Kuching in July next year, a step forward in Sarawak’s experimentation with the gas as a cheap and clean alternative power source for public transport.

The buses will not be given to bus companies for the trial, but will be “assigned” to state government agencies, including the tourism board.

Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said state power company Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) would acquire the buses at a cost of RM10 million, with the state government allocating the funds.

SEB was selected to handle the trial after the state government last month assigned it to spearhead a feasibility study on hydrogen and fuel cell applications.

Abang Johari, during a three-day retreat in Malacca, told heads of state departments and senior state government officials that the allocation would also include funds to set up a plant to produce hydrogen.

He said the acquisition of the buses was an initial step towards the development of emissions-free public transport vehicles, and that he hoped to portray Sarawak as a proponent of clean energy, particularly to tourists.

This came at the end of his five-day working visit to China last week to explore new technologies in light rail transit (LRT) and building construction.

Among the companies he visited was China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd, where discussions focused on the development of an efficient and emissions-free public transport system.

The chief minister had made a similar trip to Europe last month.

He had earlier said the state’s proposed LRT system, which would connect Kuching with the outlying towns of Serian (66km from Kuching), Samarahan (30km) and Damai (28km), could also run on hydrogen.

“A clean-energy image will see Kuching having a strong tourist pull, enabling it to become a tourism gateway much like Malacca.”

In the quest to go green and follow the world trend, he said there could be a policy shift on attracting “pollutant-emitting heavy industries” to the state.

He said although the state’s foreign direct investment record “might look good by accepting heavy industries”, Sarawak would later have to pay a price if such industries were found to be polluting the environment. – December 11, 2017.