Kuching would be the first city in Malaysia to have hydrogen-powered buses on its road when its order for three such buses is expected to arrive from China by July 2018, Chief Minister YAB Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg announced.
In his speech during the closing of the High Performance Team (HPT) Retreat 2017 at a leading hotel in Malacca on 10 December 2017, he said that the buses were part of the hydrogen research and development programme that was being undertaken by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) under its Hydrogen Research Unit.
The programme, which was given an allocation of RM10 million by the State Government, included the setting up of a plant with foreign expertise to produce hydrogen gas to power the buses.
He added that acquisition of the emission-free buses was part of a long term plan to ensure a green public transportation system in Sarawak, in line with the current worldwide trend of protecting the environment.
These buses would be assigned to government agencies, including one for tourism as a strategy to attract tourists with Kuching’s eco-friendly and clean energy image, which the Chief Minister hoped would help the capital city to become a tourism gateway akin to the likes of Malacca.
With the current shift towards environment-friendly industries, he also stressed the need for Sarawak to re-evaluate its foreign direct investments (FDI), which tend to bring in pollutant-emitting industries.
He elaborated that while accepting heavy industries has improved its FDI record, the long-term implication might see Sarawak having to pay the price if these industries were polluting the environment.
