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The Malaysian state of Sarawak is advancing a large-scale plan to export clean e
The Malaysian state of Sarawak is advancing a large-scale plan to export clean electricity to Southeast Asian neighbours — a strategy officials describe as making it the "Battery of ASEAN." The state already operates several major hydroelectric plants delivering more than 3.5 gigawatts of capacity, with targets set for 10 gigawatts by 2030 and 15 gigawatts by 2035. A master plan presented at a regional clean-energy conference this year identified sites for four further large dams. Sarawak has already begun supplying electricity to neighbouring West Kalimantan, Indonesia, as the first completed leg of a planned ASEAN-wide power grid. Proponents argue the state's river systems make it well placed to deliver low-carbon baseload power as neighbours seek to reduce coal dependence; critics of large-scale hydropower raise concerns about environmental impact and the displacement of communities near dam sites. What is the right way to weigh the benefits of large clean-energy projects against the local costs they can impose?