Kuala Lumpur: Sarawak is stepping up plans to deeply integrate into the ASEAN Power Grid, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. He noted that the East Malaysian state has been supplying electricity to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, for the past six years, and is currently in the process of supplying electricity to Brunei.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Premier shared that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has requested him to explore the possibility of supplying power from Sarawak to Sabah and connecting it to Brunei. “Sarawak will play its part to contribute to the ASEAN Grid,” Abang Johari stated at the Sustainable Leadership Fireside Chat-Leading ASEAN’s Sustainable and Digital Frontier during the ASEAN Women Economic Summit 2025 (AWES 2025) held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
He further mentioned that Sarawak is actively enhancing its grid infrastructure to strengthen power distribution across the state and beyond. The state has set ambitious targets to generate 10 gigawatts (GW) of energy production by 2030 and 15 GW by 2035. The session was moderated by UOB Malaysia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ng Wei Wei, with UOB Malaysia as the main sponsor of AWES 2025, alongside Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd as the empowerment partner.
On the topic of women and leadership, Premier Abang Johari emphasized that roles should be assigned based on merit and qualifications, rather than gender. He underscored the importance of societal acceptance of women as leaders, citing the examples of Indira Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto, former prime ministers of India and Pakistan, respectively, who demonstrated that effective leadership can transcend gender-based limitations.
The two-day inaugural AWES 2025, which began on Saturday, was held on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit under Malaysia’s 2025 Chairmanship. It attracted over 700 delegates from government, business, and civil society across ASEAN. The summit, themed ‘Empowering Women, Energising ASEAN: Pioneering Economic Integration for a Resilient Tomorrow’, highlighted the urgent need to position women at the forefront of ASEAN’s economic transformation, particularly in tackling challenges such as global tariff wars, digital transformation, and sustainable development. It also featured discussions, strategic brainstorming sessions, leadership labs, and a mentorship program.