JAKARTA, April 23 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that Indonesia welcomed the possibility of Malaysia exporting electricity from the Bakun hydroelectricity project in Sarawak to Kalimantan.
The Prime Minister said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reacted positively when he brought up the matter at their bilateral meeting at the Istana Merdeka which was also attended by ministers from both sides.
“I have offered the possibility of us assisting Indonesia in fulfilling the energy needs in Kalimantan and Presiden Susilo has welcomed the offer,” he told Malaysian journalists at the end of his two-day visit to Indonesia today.
Najib said ministers of both countries would hold follow up meetings to discuss the matter as well as the passage for the construction of undersea cables to carry electricity from Bakun to Peninsular Malaysia.
The Prime Minister said about 70 per cent of the submarine cables would pass through Indonesian’s waters in Natuna Islands in the South China Sea.
Asked whether Malaysia would offer any special price for the electricity to be exported to Kalimantan, Najib said, pricing was not discussed yet.
The Prime Minister said Malaysia decided to redevelop the Bakun project as it was crucial to meet the country’s energy requirement especially in the peninsula.
“This is also to enable us to ensure that our energy mix can be enhanced through the hydro component which is more sustainable compared to gas which is a finite resource or coal which needs to be imported,” he said.
He said that energy security was among new areas of cooperation discussed in the bilateral meeting, which was a continuation of the consensus reached at the meeting between his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Susilo early this year.
The other area of cooperation is in the high technology sector.
“I would like to stress that we should stretch our capabilities, from the very basic up to the high technology level. We intend to enhance the value chain between both countries so that we can assist each other,” he said, adding that Malaysia and Indonesia had the expertise in these fields.
For instance, he said, Malaysia had the expertise in the aerospace maintenance and repair operation, defence and information communication technology.
“Indonesia may want to look into giving Malaysia the opportunities in the high technology sector,” he said, adding that it could also cover areas such as ship building and repair as well as light armament.
He said Malaysia had purchased several light transport aircraft produced by Indonesia as part of the high technology collaborative framework. – Bernama
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