Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is embarking on increasing its green renewable energy generation sources, and this could involve the manufacture of solar panels and batteries with investments by China and Korean companies.
In reply to a question, State Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe said: “Ever since I assumed the Ministry’s office as the Minister, every time, I got questions about water and electricity. I do not hide or sweep under the carpet as this is real.
“Even when I go overseas on investment missions, when foreign investors and domestic investors ask me, ‘what do you think about your water and electricity problems?’ I have to be very honest, yes, we have problems.
"I do not want to point fingers at our past leaders. I think it is a collective situation. To supply water, we do not have mega dams where other states have.
“To supply electricity, we are the only state that does not have a coal fired plant, which was supposed to have been built 10 to fifteen years ago.
“Now we have that legacy. So, how do we overcome that? Luckily, for industrial parks we have a policy to ensure sufficient supply to the industrial parks, tenants, and operators there.
“So we do not have many problems with water and electricity for industrial parks. But ‘kasihan-lah’ (pity) to our outside smaller industrial estates in Lok Kawi and Inanam, the small industries, they are facing problems.
“Meanwhile, the State Government is going to build infrastructure to be handled by my colleague in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development. The Ministry of Industrial Development knows that there are upcoming demands for industries.
“We cannot say there is no water, no electricity, then we stop. Close down the Ministry, stop taking in investors. We cannot do that.”
Dexter
The government would definitely give priority to local investors, especially Sabahan industries, Phoong stressed at the Property Hunder Conference for its panel discussion 2 at SICC on June 14, moderated by Daily Express’ Dexter Yeh.
Phoong said Sabah needs to attract more foreign investors to create the industrial ecosystem that would benefit the local industries.
He said he met with the visiting US Ambassador to Malaysia on June 13 and conveyed to the envoy that Sabah is open for business to all.
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