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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2019
Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka
Awang Haji Matsatejo bin Sokiaw and invited guests learning more about
the AHEAD Demo plant at the ground breaking ceremony in Sungai Liang Industrial Park
AHEAD
One of the significant developments of 2018
was the commencement of construction of
the world's first global hydrogen supply chain
demonstration plant at a project site located at
Sungai Liang Industrial Park (SPARK).
The plant is a part of a two-phase project
(comprising the aforementioned Sungai Liang
hydrogenisation plant and a dehydrogenisation
plant in Kawasaki, Japan) between the
governments of Brunei and Japan under the
Advanced Hydrogen Energy Chain Association
for Technology Development (AHEAD), a
consortium of four leading Japanese companies
– Chiyoda Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation,
Mitsui & Co Ltd, and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha – and funded by the New Energy
and Industrial Technology Development
Organization (NEDO).
It was reported following the ground breaking
ceremony for the plant construction on April
21, 2018 that the plant is a direct response
to growing global concerns on greenhouse
gas emissions and the adverse effects these
emissions have had on the planet as outlined in
the Paris Agreement.
The construction of the demo plant represents
a boost in bilateral relations between Brunei
and Japan in terms of investments in the next
generation of clean energy alternatives.
Ambassador of Japan to Brunei, Motohiko Kato
said of the collaboration, “Backed by Japanese
technology as well as support from the Bruneian
Government and Japan, Brunei will enter a new
era of environmentally friendly energy that will
sustain the future generation.”
He added that the project will also help establish
further ties between Brunei and Japan, and
provide Brunei the opportunity to take advantage
of hydrogen to preserve its pristine environment.
“I hope the bright young students at Universiti
Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Universiti
Teknologi Brunei (UTB) will be inspired by this
project and consider how they can contribute to
hydrogen energy use in Brunei,” Kato said.
Also speaking at the event was Masayoshi
Yamakage, Director of Advanced Energy Systems
and Structure Division, Energy Conservation
and Renewable Energy Department, Agency
for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan.
Yamakage noted that the Paris Agreement has
encouraged the decarbonisation of the global
energy sector, adding that hydrogen represents
a key technology to realise this transition. He
also shared that the Japanese Government
formulated a ‘Basic Hydrogen Strategy’ in
December last year, and said that this project is
very important in realising a “hydrogen society”.
“For Brunei, this involves taking advantage
of its rich natural resources and making use
of Japan’s hydrogen technology to create a
harmonious relationship,” he said. “The success
of this project is dependent on the close
cooperation between Brunei and Japan, and
realising this innovation is the first step towards
a hydrogen society focused on promoting global
decarbonisation.”
Deputy Minister of MEMI Dato Seri Paduka
Awang Haji Matsatejo, the guest of honour at
the plant ground breaking, gave his backing to
the hydrogen energy project.
“I would like to encourage the use of hydrogen
fuel, especially in the transportation sector,
and encourage the involvement of educational
institutions to promote and raise awareness of
this fuel,” he said. “The world is still far away
from adopting hydrogen as a mainstream energy
source, but there is no reason why Brunei cannot