Malaysia: Sarawak eyes biofuel revenue from palm oil waste through legal reforms

The Sarawak government is currently reviewing existing legal provisions in a bid to put palm oil waste to better use, with the aim of promoting downstream activities and increasing revenue for the state.

Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said he had directed Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom to discuss the matter with state Attorney-General Datuk Seri Saferi Ali.

“Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi will discuss with the Sarawak Attorney-General regarding amendments to our laws so that we can manage palm oil waste, turning it into a new source of income for Sarawak.

“From this waste, we can produce green energy,” he said in a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report today.

He made these remarks during a press conference after launching the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) kernel crushing plant in Lubok Antu, Sri Aman.

Abang Johari said this move will serve to strengthen Sarawak’s role in the regional economy.

At present, Sarawak has 85 palm oil processing mills, from which palm oil waste can be collected and sent to a central processing facility for biofuel production.

According to him, these 85 mills can work together to ensure proper disposal and management of palm oil waste, facilitating the production of biofuel.

“In this way, we will be able to produce large-scale by-products such as biofuel which is the basis for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

“If this can be materialised, then Sarawak can become an SAF producer in the region, further boosting our revenue,” added Abang Johari.

Tags: Production, palm oil, biofuel, waste, green energy