Sabah Assembly Passes 2 Bills To Harness Ocean Waves For Energy

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Chief minister Hajiji Noor said Sabah has the potential to generate up to 20,000 MW of electric power from ocean thermal energy.PETALING JAYA: The Sabah assembly today passed two bills that will allow the state to utilise ocean waves to generate electricity for its future needs.
The assembly passed the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (Otec) Bill 2024 and the Sabah Energy Commission (Amendment No 2) Bill 2024, Bernama reported.
Chief minister Hajiji Noor said the Otec Bill would pave the way for the development of Otec as a renewable energy source and it will be one of the key initiatives in the blue economy.
He said the other bill would allow the Energy Commission of Sabah to regulate the exploration, construction and operation of Otec facilities.
“Otec technology uses the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep-sea water to produce electricity in an environmentally friendly manner.”
Hajiji said Sabah has extensive marine resources and suitable characteristics to develop Otec facilities.
He said studies indicated that several areas in Sabah have the potential to generate up to 20,000MW of electric power.
This power could be used to produce green hydrogen, a high-demand energy source to meet the goal of zero carbon emissions.
The Sabah Energy Commission (Amendment No 2) Bill 2024, tabled by assistant to the chief minister Abidin Madingkir, will regulate the Otec industry.
Abidin said this will create more job opportunities and help meet the energy needs of the state.
The assembly also passed the Syariah Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2024 that will give clearer authority to religious enforcement officers to investigate and prosecute certain shariah offences. - FMT

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