PETROS AND SUMITOMO CORPORATION ADVANCE CO-DEVELOPMENT OF KUCHING LOW-CARBON HUB

17 Dec 2025, Kuching - Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) and Sumitomo Corporation have progressed discussions plan and co-develop the Kuching Low-Carbon Hub following a senior-level meeting at Sumitomo Corporation’s headquarters in Otemachi, Tokyo recently.

The discussions were led by Dato Janin Girie, Group Chief Executive Officer of PETROS, and Mr Hajime Mori, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sumitomo Corporation’s Energy Transformation Business Group, together with senior executives from both organisations.

Sumitomo was appointed in May 2025 as one of the anchor partners for the Kuching Low-Carbon Hub, alongside China Jiangsu International Group. The project forms part of Sarawak’s effort to position itself as a regional base for advanced manufacturing and other higher-value industries that require adequate, reliable, and lower-carbon energy, underpinned by baseload renewable hydropower, natural gas and carbon capture and storage.

Sumitomo brings extensive experience in the development of industrial ecosystems, including industrial park projects across Southeast Asia. Its involvement is intended to support the structuring of the Hub around internationally proven development models, aligning physical planning, infrastructure provision and commercial frameworks with the expectations of global industrial operators and investors.

The engagement in Tokyo follows a series of international investor and partner related to the Kuching Low-Carbon Hub. Together, these engagements reflect a coordinated and outward-facing approach to building global partnerships for the project.

The meeting focused on aligning the overall development concept, agreeing on a common framework to progress into project-level definition, and clarifying the collaboration model between PETROS and its anchor partners. Emphasis was placed on maintaining discipline as the project moves from masterplanning into execution.

For PETROS, the partnership reflects a deliberate strategy to anchor delivery with established global operators. Drawing on anchor partners’ technical capability, development experience, ability to structure projects that meet international financing and bankability requirements, and their networks of industrial players and investors, PETROS is strengthening execution capability, market confidence and the commercial discipline required to progress large-scale industrial developments from concept to operation.

Sumitomo’s contribution includes development expertise as well as access to a global network of industrial operators, technology providers and investment partners. This network is expected to help shape the Hub’s industrial pipeline, particularly for companies seeking a reliable and cost-competitive base in Southeast Asia as they respond to tightening energy and carbon constraints.

The Kuching Low-Carbon Hub is being developed as part of the Sarawak Gas Roadmap and reflects Sarawak’s broader effort to leverage its energy endowment to support industrial transition.

The Hub is intended to attract higher-value industrial activity, extend and deepen regional and global value chains, and generate sustained economic activity over time.

The engagement in Tokyo adds to a growing set of international partnerships underpinning the Hub’s development, reinforcing Sarawak’s positioning as a jurisdiction offering reliable energy, competitive infrastructure and a clear policy framework for industries preparing for a lower-carbon future.

Group photo of PETROS and Sumitomo Corporation representatives, featuring Mr Hajime Mori (left), Group Chief Executive Officer of Sumitomo Corporation’s Energy Transformation Business Group, and Dato Janin Girie (right), Group Chief Executive Officer of PETROS, during a meeting with senior executives from both organisations.

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