THE two Sarawak DAP elected representatives in the state took the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government to task for continuing to spend billions on hydrogen-related projects.
Violet Yong (Pending) and Chong Chien Jen (Padungan) want the GPS to give exact details on how the state will benefit from these hydrogen-related projects.
Out of the RM 10.9 billion State Budget for 2025, RM 1.42 billion will be used for the hydrogen trams in Kuching alone.
Overall, the state is expected to spend at least RM 6 billion for the hydrogen trams in Kuching.
Chong, who is Sarawak DAP chairman, said the state government is also going to construct a hydrogen production hub in Bintulu district in northern Sarawak to produce hydrogen gas for use as tram fuel and export.
"To produce the 200,000 tonnes of hydrogen gas that the state government is aiming for, the amount of electricity that will be needed can light up the whole of the Baram population in interior northern Sarawak.
"Is it justifiable for such continuous mega spendings when only the limited population of Sarawak can benefit from these hydrogen projects? " he asked.
Chong is also Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chairman, while Violet Yong is Sarawak DAP Women chief.
She also questioned the wisdom of the state government in wanting to construct networks of pipelines to transport hydrogen gas.
"Hydrogen gas is very volatile and if there is leakage, it can trigger an explosion on a massive scale.
"Does the state government have any contingency plan?
"We have not heard of safety guarantees given by any state leaders, nor is there any blueprint on safety and security of these hydrogen projects and hydrogen storage facilities and pipelines being planned.
"The state government is going full-scale on hydrogen project spending and yet the majority of Sarawakians will not benefit," she stressed. - November 13, 2024
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