He said the power export began two days ago with an initial 30 megawatts from Sarawak’s northern grid. “Now we can become the Borneo grid,” Dayak Daily quoted him as saying in Bintulu today.

The supply from Sarawak is expected to ease Sabah’s power supply problem dating back to the 1980s, with blackouts common in many parts of the state. Sabah has a reserve margin of 5% above peak demand of about 1,100MW in 2024, compared with Peninsular Malaysia’s 40% margin.

Abang Johari said Sarawak’s export ambitions extend beyond Sabah, with it preparing to supply one gigawatt of electricity to Singapore.

“I told the Singaporean ministers that it is not ordinary energy – it’s green energy,” he said, adding the initiative supports Singapore’s green credentials while strengthening Sarawak’s role in the regional energy market.

Abang Johari noted that the state was also already supplying electricity to West Kalimantan and making investments in North Kalimantan.