Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy

The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) is a new development corridor in central Sarawak, a state of Malaysia that is part of the island of Borneo. SCORE was launched on 11 February 2008 by then Malaysian fifth Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It is one of the five regional development corridors being developed throughout the country.[1] According to promotional material, it aims to accelerate the state's economic growth, as well as improve the quality of life for the people of Sarawak.[2] Overseas interest is key to the development of SCORE with investment now totalling about US$30 billion in the aluminium, the polysilicon, and minerals-based industries as well as agriculture including aquaculture and the halal hub. In addition Chinese investors have recently pledged US$11 billion and Arab investors US$7 billion in the energy and aluminium clusters.[3]

Growth and development

SCORE singles out 10 key industries for development[4] and focuses on five major growth nodes, Tanjung Manis, Samalaju, Mukah, Baram and Tunoh.[5] These include tourism, oil, aluminium, metals, glass, fishing, aquaculture, livestock, forestry, ship building and palm oil.[6] Investors are being drawn to the region because it is rich in energy resources, with an energy potential of 28,000 MW of which 20,000 MW are in hydropower and 5,000 MW in coal-fired plants and the remaining 3,000 MW in other energy sources including biofuel.[7] This allows Sarawak to price its energy competitively and encourage investments in power generation and energy-intensive industries that will stimulate strong industrial development in the corridor.[8]

SCORE is developing a vast area that stretches 320 kilometres along Sarawak’s coast from Tanjung Manis to Samalaju and extends all the way into the extensive and remote hinterlands where two rural growth nodes, Baram and Tunoh, will also be developed.[9] In order to connect urban centres across the central region with the rest of Sarawak, new roads will be created to provide more efficient transport of goods, access to resources and human capital.[10]

Industrial transformation

According to SCORE’s official website, Sarawak’s industrial sector is currently undergoing a transformation and the opportunities for investment are immense.[11] Value-added industries are taking an increasingly dominant role in the development of the state and the days when Sarawak exported raw materials that were finished elsewhere are long over, with the new clusters set to put “Made in Sarawak” stamps on more goods and services in the years to come.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Skor Career
  2. ↑ Sky Scraper City
  3. ↑ Bernama(subscription required)
  4. ↑ SCORE’s official website
  5. ↑ Live Trading News
  6. ↑ Scan News
  7. ↑ The Star
  8. ↑ Recoda
  9. ↑ "A westerner who defends Taib’s dams". Movement for Change Sarawak.
  10. ↑ "News on Sarawak Corridor on Renewable Energy : SCORE". Small Business report. 25 October 2009. A Website www. bursastreet.blogspot.com has this to say “[…] There has been speculation that the Government will soon award out two key road projects of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), namely: (1) The Murum access road worth about RM900m; and (2) The Nanga Merit access road worth about RM1.2bn. […]”
  11. ↑ Sarawak Score
  12. ↑ SMA Sarawak

External links