The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy ("SCORE") is an economic region and development corridor covering central Sarawak, a Malaysian State on the island of Borneo. SCORE was launched in 2008. It is one of the five regional development corridors launched throughout Malaysia during the Abdullah Badawi administration. [1] SCORE is managed by the Regional Corridors Development Authority ("RECODA"), a state government agency created through an Ordinance of the State Legislative Assembly. [2] [3]
SCORE was launched on 11 February 2008 by the 5th Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. [4] SCORE was immediately placed under the jurisdiction of Regional Corridors Development Authority (RECODA) where the latter was created under an ordinance passed in the state assembly back in 2006. RECODA must consist of a chairman, two deputy chairmen, and between five and ten other board members. This agency promotes, manages, and oversees the implementation of development projects inside the corridor. [3] SCORE covered an area of 70,000 km2 at the central region of Sarawak, with a coast line of 320 km long; encompassing urban centres such as Sibu, Bintulu, Mukah, Sarikei, Bintulu, Miri, Lawas, Limbang, and Kapit. [2]
Initial plan for SCORE was to construct 12 hydroelectric dams with 7,800 MW of installed capacity, connected to industrial facilities located at the coast of Sarawak, targeting 50 dams with eventual installation capacity of 20,000 MW. [5] Batang Ai Dam was commissioned on 21 August 1985, followed by Bakun Dam in 2014, [6] and Murum Dam in 2015. [7] In November 2015, chief minister Adenan Satem halted the Baram Dam project indefinitely due to persistent protests from the local communities. [8] In 2017, Sarawak acquired Bakun Dam from the Malaysian federal government at a cost of RM 2.5 billion. [9] Baleh Dam started construction in 2020 after completion of river diversions works. [10] The dam is expected to commission in 2026. [11]
Companies given the pioneer status, involving in high tech industries, heavy capital investments, or high research and development activities will enjoy 100% exemption on its statutory income for 5 years. [12] Other incentives include Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) and Reinvestment Allowance (RA) in the manufacturing industry. [13]
In 2021, SCORE became part of the "Post Covid-19 development strategy" where the latter was introduced in July 2021. [14]
The initial aim of setting up SCORE was to develop central region of Sarawak, improving the state's economic growth, thus achieving the national objective of Vision 2020 for becoming a developed state. [2] The development corridor also targets 1.5 million jobs creation by the year 2030. [15] By 2013, the state government has identified SCORE as one of the means to achieve high income and advanced economy by 2030. [16] [17] The economic corridor also planned to achieve RM 334 billion (US$110 billion) in total investments, where RM 67 billion (20%) are funded by the government [17] (a mix of investments from government-linked companies, state, and federal funds) [5] and the remaining RM 267 billion (80%) are funded by private sector. [17] Other targets include: increase the size of the economy by a factor of five to RM 118 billion, increase per capita income to RM 97,400, [18] increase the number of jobs by a factor of 2.5, and doubling the population to 4.6 million by the year of 2030. [5]
It focus on ten priority industries in agriculture, mining, and manufacturing sectors such as aquaculture, livestock rearing, timber, palm oil, petroleum, aluminum, and steel and glass industries. [2] Total investments into these industries are projected to reach RM 200 billion where oil-based industries amount to RM 60 billion, aluminium industry accounted for RM 23 billion, palm oil industry at RM 17 billion, and timber-based industry RM 11 billion. [5]
In order to expand the SCORE initiative into rural Sarawak, three agencies under RECODA were established. This initiative expanded the SCORE development area from initial 70,000 km2 to 100,000 km2, which is about two-thirds of Sarawak area. [19]
URDA was established on July 12, 2017. [19] Its inaugural chairman was deputy chief minister James Jemut Masing. [20] This agency covers areas involving Kapit, Kanowit, Song, Belaga, and Bukit Mabong, totalling 41,186 km2 in area. [21] Major development projects for URDA are the construction and management of Bakun Dam, Murum Dam, and Baleh Dam and building access roads to the dams and between settlement areas. [22]
As of December 2020, there were four projects under planning and 28 projects under implementation. One of such projects is the construction of 73 km road network from Kapit to Baleh Dam. This enables remote villages from around Baleh area road access to Kapit town. [23]
HDA was established on July 12, 2017. [19] This agency covers an area of 18,462 km2 involving 75,000 people across 244 villages and longhouses in Bario, Mulu, and Long Lama. [21] [24] Deputy chief minister Douglas Uggah Embas served as the inaugural chairman of the HDA. [19] [20] [25] As of December 2020, 10 projects were under planning and 19 projects were under implementation under HDA. [23] Among the projects implemented were Long Lama Rural Growth Centre and Integrated Highland Agriculture Station (IHAS). [26] IHAS aims to become an agricultural products collection, chilling, and packaging facility for the Baram region. [23] IHAS covers an area of 634 hectares including Long Beruang, Long Banga, and Long Peluan areas. Facilities included in IHAS are offices, an internet centre, a multipurpose hall, a production centre, schools, hostels, a training centre, and road networks connecting to surrounding farmlands. [22] In September 2022, IHAS was transferred to a new ministry named Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak (MANRED). [27]
NRDA was established on March 15, 2018. [19] Deputy chief minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan was the inaugural NRDA Chairman. [20] It encompasses Limbang and Lawas, covering an area of 7,790 km2. [21] NRDA is involved in roads constructions, building water supply, and a new airport in Lawas. [28] As of December 2020, 12 projects were under planning and 64 projects were under implementation. One of such projects is Northern Coastal Highway that aims to connect Miri, Limbang, and Lawas to neighbouring state of Sabah through various custom checkpoints in Brunei, Limbang, and Lawas; by constructing a dual carriageway. [23]
Samalaju Industrial Park began construction in 2009. [29] [30] In January 2011, Tokuyama's polycrystalline silicon factory was opened in the industrial park. [29] As of 2012, investors committed RM 29 billion to Samalaju Industrial Park, created 17,333 new jobs. [18] As of 2014, 15 out of 19 projects in SCORE are located in Samalaju, with total cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) of MYR 27 billion. [31] Companies such as Press Metal Bhd, OM Materials (Sarawak), Pertama Ferroalloys, Sakura Ferroalloys, OCI Malaysia (previously Tokuyama Malaysia), and Iwatani-SIG Industrial Gases Sdn Bhd, and Elkem Carbon Malaysia are operational in Samalaju since 2014. [31] [32] Other development projects near the industrial park are Samalaju Eco Park Township and Samalaju port. Residential properties, shoplots, transportation hub, and light industrial facilities are located inside the Eco Park Township. Samalaju port handled 4 million tonnes of cargo annually in 2015. [33]
As of 2018, there was no data of socioeconomic impact on the local community, such as employment and wages, and involvement of local companies in the industrial park. [34] In response to this, the 2019 RECODA annual report included details of private investments made by each company and number of jobs created. [35]
Mukah aims to become a smart city focusing in education and information technology. [36] Amongst projects that were planned in 2013 were: new Mukah Airport, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) campus, and Mukah Science Park. Mukah Coal Fired power plant started operation in April 2009. This was followed by Press Metal Sarawak opening its first aluminium smelting plant in August 2009. [29] In April 2011, Mukah new administrative centre was built that houses the head office of RECODA [29] and Dalat & Mukah District Council. [37] Since 2014, Matadeng Industrial park, located at 30 km from the Mukah town, was planned. [38] [39] New Mukah Airport started construction in 2017 and commenced operation in June 2021. [40] Construction of new UiTM Mukah Campus started in 2012 and completed in 2015, capable of housing 2,000 students. [41] Three faculties are based in this new campus, namely: faculty of business management, faculty of plantation and agrotechnology, and faculty of Applied Science. [42] Mukah Rinwood 10 MW biomass power plant also started construction in 2015. It uses oil palm waste such as empty fruit branch, palm kernel shell, and mesocarp fibre to generate electricity. [33]
Balingian coal fired power plant began construction in 2015. [33] The power plant started operating in May 2019. [43] [44]
Tanjung Manis aims to become a palm oil integrated centre and halal food hub. [36] Tanjung Manis Halal Hub was launched in February 2009. [29] Other projects planned includes building an integrated port and deep sea fishing port. In 2013, Sea Party International Co Ltd from Taiwan invested in this area, involving in tilapia, marine fish, and shrimp farming projects. [29]
The Baram region encompasses Miri, Marudi, Telang Usan, and Beluru. It aims develop highland agriculture, livestock rearing, and ecotourism. [45] Construction of IHAS started in 2015. [46] Access roads to Baram Dam and Murum Dam were also planned. [29]
Similar to Baram, Tunoh also aims to become an agriculture and eco-tourism centre. Access road to Baleh Dam was planned in 2013. [29] Access road to Tunoh and a new township at Bukit Mabong was planned in 2016. [47]
As of 2014, 19 projects with more than RM 32 billion in FDI has been approved cumulatively. Of these projects, 15 of them were located in Samalaju, and the remaining four were located in Tanjung Manis, Mukah and Kidurong. [31] In the year 2014 alone, SCORE accounted for 90% of Sarawak's total foreign direct investment (FDI), amounting RM 9.6 billion, where 87.2% the investments were foreign. [48] As of 2016, 16 projects in basic metal products industry, two projects in chemical industry, two projects under food manufacturing, and one project under petrochemical industry was approved. [17] As of 2018, a total of nine projects were operational in the economic corridor, where seven of them were located in Samalaju, one each at Mukah and Tanjung Manis. SCORE recorded RM 79.97 billion in total investments, where RM 33.64 billion (42%) came from private investments. [49] As of 2020, SCORE created 6,654 [50] to 18,000 job opportunities. [51] A total of 68% of the jobs were filled by locals. [50] Export values worth RM 9.4 billion were generated in the same year. [50] As of October 2021, cumulative private and public investments in SCORE stood at RM 71.1 billion, where public sector contributes 58.2% and foreign investments stood at 36.7%. [52] In the year of 2022, total cumulative investments in SCORE stood at RM 102.36 billion where RM93.09 billion was contributed by the private sector and RM 9.17 billion contributed by public sector, [53] where figures from 2021 annual report was quoted. [14]
Sarawak failed to achieve a developed and industrialised state within Malaysia by the year 2020. [54] RECODA stopped publishing annual reports after merging with "Post Covid-19 development strategy" in 2021. [55] As of 2023, 84 out of 251 of the projects implemented by RECODA were completed. [56]
| Year | Public | Investments (in RM billion) | Private | Investments (in RM billion) | Jobs | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 [18] | Mukah (cumulative) | 4.0 | Samalaju (cumulative) | 29.0 | Samalaju (cumulative) | 17,333 |
| Murum dam | 3.0 | Sea Party (Tanjung Manis) | 1.9 | |||
| Samalaju water supply | 0.1 | Mukah Press Metal | 1.0 | |||
| Samalaju Port | 1.8 | |||||
| 2013 [29] | 9th Malaysian Plan (2008-2010) | 6.58 | Sea Party (Tanjung Manis) | 2.0 | TERAJU | 3,459 |
| 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-2013) | 4.0 | |||||
| 2014 [57] | 9th Malaysian Plan (2008-2010) | 6.6 | ||||
| 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-2014) | 3.8 | |||||
| 2015 [33] | 9th Malaysian Plan (2008-2010) | 6.6 | Total | >30 | Samalaju | 6,500 |
| 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-2015) | 3.8 | Construction | 10,000 | |||
| 2016 [47] | Samalaju | 1.4 | Samalaju Growth Node | 35.2 | Samalaju | 31,160 |
| Mukah | 1.0 | Mukah | 1.8 | Mukah | 3,408 | |
| Tanjung Manis | 2.2 | Tanjung Manis | 2.2 | Tanjung Manis | 1,212 | |
| Tunoh | 0.43 | Tunoh | 0.002 | Tunoh | 4,229 | |
| Baram | 0.24 | Baram | 3.0 | Baram | 412 | |
| Power generation and transmission excluding Bakun Dam | 0.0 | Power generation and transmission excluding Bakun Dam | 17.1 | Power generation and transmission excluding Bakun Dam | 12,200 | |
| Pan Borneo Highway (within SCORE area) | 6.03 | Pan Borneo Highway (within SCORE area) | 0.0 | Pan Borneo Highway (within SCORE area) | 3,575 | |
| 2017 [22] | Mukah (2009-2017) | 0.45 | Samalaju steel project | 12.7 | Samalaju | 6,300 |
| Samalaju (2009-2017) | 1.34 | Samalaju methanol project | 8.5 | |||
| Tanjung Manis (2009-2017) | 0.5 | |||||
| Tunoh (2009-2017) | 1.54 | |||||
| Baram (2009-2017) | 0.26 | |||||
| Access road to Murum HEP (2009-2017) | 0.69 | |||||
| Sangan - Sg Anap Road (2009-2017) | 0.23 | |||||
| 2018 [28] | 11th Malaysian Plan (2016-2020) | 3.9 | Total | 39.94 | Total | 17,828 |
| State projects | 4.5 | |||||
| 2019 [58] | URDA | 1.5 | Samalaju | 29.0 | Samalaju | 14,414 |
| HDA | 1.5 | Mukah | 1.0 | Mukah | 900 | |
| NRDA | 1.5 | Tanjung Manis | 2.3 | Tanjung Manis | 1,852 | |
| Tanjung Kidurong | 8.2 | Tanjung Kidurong | 725 | |||
| 2020 [59] | URDA | 1.5 | Samalaju | 42.0 | Samalaju | 23,424 |
| HDA | 1.5 | Mukah | 1.0 | Mukah | 900 | |
| NRDA | 1.5 | Tanjung Manis | 2.3 | Tanjung Manis | 2,480 | |
| Tanjung Kidurong | 2.3 | Tanjung Kidurong | 1,888 | |||
| 2021 [14] | 9th Malaysian Plan (2008-2010) | 0.98 | Samalaju (cumulative) | 31.24 | Samalaju | 12,770 |
| 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-2015) | 1.6 | |||||
| 11th Malaysian Plan (2016-2020) | 1.8 | |||||
| 12th Malaysian Plan (2021-2025) | 0.12 | |||||
| NRDA | 1.5 | |||||
| HDA | 1.5 | |||||
| URDA | 1.5 | |||||
| Talent and Community Development | 0.024 |
| Year | Public (in RM billion) | Private (in RM billion) | Total (in RM billion) | No. of Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 9.2 | 31.9 | 41.1 | 17,333 |
| 2013 | 10.58 | 2.0 | 12.58 | 3,459 |
| 2014 | 10.38 | |||
| 2015 | 10.38 | 30.0 | 40.38 | 16,500 |
| 2016 | 11.3 | 59.4 | 70.76 | 56,196 |
| 2017 | 5.02 | 21.2 | 26.22 | 6,300 |
| 2018 | 46.4 | 33.6 | 80 | 17,093 |
| 2019 | 4.5 | 40.5 | 45 | 17,891 |
| 2020 | 4.5 | 60.45 | 64.95 | 27,851 |
| 2021 | 9.17 | 93.09 | 102.3 | 12,770 |
According to a report published in 2011, although SCORE helps to diversify Sarawak energy sources away from fossil fuels, it met several technical challenges such as a lack of proper highways to carry raw materials into rural areas, lack of proper electricity networks to carry power to consumers, difficulties in river diversion, tunneling, channeling, transportation of machines and turbines to the dam construction sites, and lack of highly trained engineers and construction workers to build the spillways, powerhouses, transformers, turbines, and dam face. The turbid river waters are filled with silt, sediments, logs, and rocks due to logging, erosions, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Such low quality river waters can make dam projects more complicated and shorten the lifetime of the dam usage to 30 to 40 years. These problems could make the electricity generated from SCORE unaffordable because of cost overruns and delays in financing the projects. An example is the cost overruns of Bakun Dam six times higher than the original price of RM 2.5 billion due to delays, rising interest rates, strikes and problems with excavations. Initially, construction companies have to underestimate their risks in order to have an edge in the tender bidding process. When problems emerged during constructions, additional payment have to be made in order to keep the project afloat, thus making the electricity generated by dams in Sarawak to be two to three times higher than expected. [5] Building dams in the middle of the forests can be construed as high risk project as it deals with many problems such as logistical issues, indigenous communities and their lands, contractors and corruptions. The caused the investors to be risk averse, thus leading to delay in financing. The electrical energy generated from the dams are mainly for industry players, instead for local population. One respondent from the interview predicted that "the amount of jobs created for the local population is practically zero". Besides, the policy of SCORE to attract "energy inefficient" metal smelters is a waste of electricity. The construction of dams also causes environmental damage due to logging, changes in water biochemical profile, emission of methane gas from rotten vegetation, and submersion of tropical rainforests. [5]
A study done in March 2015 at University of California showed that distributed energy plants such as solar and biomass can meet the future energy demand of the state when compared to dam construction. [60] A study conducted by Universiti Malaysia Sabah concluded that there is a potential for agricultural development in SCORE because of the Sarawak government and Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) commitments to developing this industry. However, encouraging youths to participate in this industry would be a major challenge. [61]
Sarawak is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in the region of East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The state capital, Kuching, is the largest city in Sarawak, the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sarawak state government. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. As of the 2020 Malaysia census, the population of Sarawak was 2.453 million. Sarawak has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park. Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia; Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in the state. Sarawak is the only state of Malaysia with a Christian majority.
Miri is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of 997.43 square kilometres (385.11 sq mi), located 798 kilometres (496 mi) north-east of Kuching and 329 kilometres (204 mi) south-west of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second-largest city in Sarawak, with a population of 356,900 as of 2020. The city is also the capital of Miri District, Miri Division.
Dalat is the administrative town of the Dalat district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is situated by the Oya River.
Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres southwest of Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu is the capital of the Bintulu District of the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia.
Marudi is a town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, and is a part of the division of Miri. It is the seat of Marudi District, and is located on the banks of Baram River, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) upstream from the river mouth. Marudi was the administrative centre of the northern region of Sarawak before Miri was established in 1910. Marudi is considered as the cultural heart of the Orang Ulu, the highland tribes of Sarawak. It is also a transit gateway to Kelabit Highlands and Gunung Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad (CMSB) (MYX: 2852) is a corporation listed on the Main Market of the Malaysian stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia. It is an investment holding company involved in Sarawak in manufacturing of cement and other construction materials, road construction and maintenance, laying of undersea pipelines, dam construction, smelting, property development, financial services, and education.
The Sabah Development Corridor or SDC is a new development corridor in Sabah, Malaysia. The SDC was launched on 29 January 2008 by the Malaysian fifth Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The Murum Dam is a gravity dam on the Murum River in Sarawak, Malaysia. Construction began in 2008, the dam's reservoir began to fill in July 2013 and the first generator was commissioned in December 2014. The fourth and final turbine became operational on 8 June 2015. Concerns have been raised about the displacement of the Dayak people and the removal of rainforest due to the construction of the dam.
Balingian also known as Kuala Balingian is a town in Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately 286.1 kilometres (178 mi) east-north-east of the state capital Kuching.
The Baram Dam, also known as Baram 1 Dam and Baram Hydro-electric Dam Project is a proposed gravity dam on the Baram River in Sarawak, Malaysia. The site of the dam is 250 kilometres (160 mi) inland from Miri, the second largest city in Sarawak. The dam is part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy and, if completed, would support a 1,200 MW power station. In November 2015, the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem announced that the Sarawak government had decided to shelf the Baram Dam because the people in Baram did not welcome the plan.
Sarawak Energy Berhad is the state owned electric utility company of the State of Sarawak. It is one of Malaysia's three electrical companies, the other two being Tenaga Nasional serving Peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah Electricity which serves the state of Sabah and territory of Labuan.
The University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) is a private university and state government-linked university as it is wholly owned by Yayasan Sarawak located in Sibu, Sarawak.
High intensity rainfall since 17 January 2015 caused major flooding across several parts of Sarawak and Sabah. Around 13,878 people had been evacuated with one teenage girl became the only casualty.
Mukah (muːkəh), historically known as Muka is a coastal town which has served as the capital and the administrative center of the Mukah Division since 1 March 2002.
The Development Bank of Sarawak Berhad (DBOS) was incorporated on 11 May 2017 as a public company limited by shares. DBOS is to carry on business as a Development Financial Institution and lending activities with sources of funding from capital injections from DBOS’ holding company, Sarawak Government’s deposits and deposits from Sarawak Government’s statutory bodies and linked companies. Its role is to support the Sarawak Government’s efforts in the development of strategic infrastructure projects.
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. James Jemut Masing was a Malaysian politician who served as the Deputy Chief Minister, State Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development of Sarawak under Chief Ministers Adenan Satem and Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg as well as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Baleh from May 2016, January 2017 and December 1983 to his death in October 2021 respectively.
Tanjung Manis is a district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The capital of the district is Tanjung Manis town.
The economy of Sarawak is the fourth-largest of the states of Malaysia, making up 9.3% of the Malaysian gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022. Meanwhile, Sarawak is home to 7.9% of the Malaysian population based on the 2020 census.
Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone is a high tech industrial zone located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
... Murum HEP had officially started commercial operation on 8 June 2015,"...
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