As home to 72% of unelectrified rural Malaysians, Sabah has an opening to pivot towards renewables as a viable solution for energy access for communities too distant from the state grid. Living landscapes and seascapes with abundant sun and water make distributed generation sensible and practical, and focuses investment in green infrastructure and a low-carbon future. Starting with mapping demand
within rural Sabah, then identifying 206 villages with readiness, and hearing the aspirations of these communities, we will co-design 35 systems in a collection of bio-cultural locations. With the learnings from a past of building 30+ mini-grid systems and a range of case studies, we will design and deploy mini-grid toolkits. Appropriate training through co-learning experiences and technology transfer from regional allies will support building the mindset capacities amongst our stakeholders. With these key stakeholders – Sabah Economic Planning Unit, Sabah Ministry of Rural Development, Sabah Electricity and Institute for Development Studies Sabah – we will explore and innovate within the policy framework to advocate readiness for a RE transition. Simultaneously, within the financing landscape, we will collaboratively craft a funding map for implementation with national, regional and international actors interested in Sabah’s journey as a global story. Through a web of communication channels with clear content, we will create a portal through which societal understanding and awareness of the issues and the roadmap process will grow. Our intention would be to share knowledge, build common language, and a critical mass of support for and trust in the roadmap and its implementation, primarily with the government and the wider public. Funding to develop this Road Map is provided under the British Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, under an international program called “Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions” (UK PACT) https://www.ukpact.co.uk/. The Consortium is building a blended funding strategy whereby international grant funding, private sector investment, government support and bank loans enable the scale-out of mini-grids across Sabah. This roadmap is an imperative for Sabah to begin the change necessary to decisively shift its trajectory towards sustainable development, a low-carbon state economy and climate resilience.
