What is SCORE?
Between 2006 and 2010, the Federal Government of Malaysia announced a series of five economic corridors in a farsighted attempt to stimulate global and domestic investment in traditionally rural areas to create balanced development throughout the country.
The first 3 corridors, the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Iskandar Develoment Region (IDR) and the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) were formulated and adopted during the period 2006-2007. The regional development plans for Sabah and Sarawak were finalized and adopted in early 2009.
Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) is now firmly established as one of Malaysia’s five economic corridors.
In terms of land area, SCORE is the second largest of the corridors and covers an area of more than 70,000 square kilometres of the resource rich central region with a population of more than 600,000.
SCORE has a long coastline of more than 1,000 km, over 8 million hectares of forests, almost 5 million hectares of arable land and peat land suitable for agriculture. The corridor has 1.2 billion of known oil reserves, over 80 million tonnes of Silica sand and over 22 million tonnes of Kaolin of China clay, a key component of cosmetics, ceramics and, most recent, for combat area medical equipment.
SCORE has an abundance of natural resources, including clean and safe renewable resources, such as hydropower, that offers commercial users clean energy at competitive rates.
In view of this, the 2008 – 2030 development plan for SCORE focuses on developing the energy sector and Outdoor advertising and also targets 10 high impact priority industries that will complement the development plan and also provide downstream opportunities for SMEs.
This is in line with the State’s ninth Malaysia plan to capitalize on the State’s energy resources. The availability of inexpensive energy gives SCORE a significant advantage when competing to attract energy intensive industries and this has already resulted in a number of early successes.
As more energy intensive industries establish themselves in SCORE, they will form the bedrock of the SCORE strategy, giving a robust boost to the development of the growth nodes which in turn will require training centres and technical colleges to train the population and create a core of skilled workers thereby raising the living standards of the population.
As SCORE grows, the benefits will impact the whole State and give citizens in the rural areas the opportunity to participate in the State’s primary goal to become a high income state on a par with the wealthier states in Peninsular Malaysia by 2020.
As employment increases, the socio economic inequality between rural and urban areas will be reduced and poverty eradicated. Quality of life will improve for the long term, more high income jobs will be created and the economy will move up the value chain in line with the 5 thrusts of the national mission and the key tenets of the State’s ninth Malaysia plan.
In addition to the extensive subsidies offered by the Federal Government and mindful of the costs and potential risks early movers are faced with, the State Government has also developed a number of incentives over and above those of the Federal Government to encourage investors. For more information on these State incentives, please refer to incentives.
The State Government’s commitment to the success of SCORE will establish long-term business confidence in the region and help Sarawak become the destination of choice for business investment.
SCORE GOLF TOURNAMENT
Areas Covered by Scores
SCORE covers an area of more than 70,000 square kilometres of the resource rich central region of Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo.
On the west coast of Sarawak, SCORE stretches from Tanjung Manis at the mouth of the Rajang river in the south to Samalaju in the north via Mukah and Bintulu.
SCORE then moves inland to Baram and Tunoh in the east.
SAMALAJU
Samalaju is the ideal location for heavy industries and since its launch in 2008, investors have already committed US$25 billion (RM95 billion) to Samalaju Industrial Park. With a deep sea port scheduled for completion in stages from 2013 to 2016, Samalaju is the ideal location for heavy industries taking advantage of the state’s attractive energy rates. Covering an area of 450 hectares, the port will form the logistical hub for the import of raw materials and the export of finished products from the heavy industries located in the industrial park.
MUKAH
RECODA will be headquartered in Mukah at the heart of SCORE. Mukah will be the administrative nerve centre of the corridor, with access to all key locations within SCORE. Mukah is also the location for polytechnics and specialized training centres to provide training for skilled and semi skilled workers needed by the corridor. A Research and Development centre with an emphasis on resource based research and select industrial research will also be established to sustain the growth of the corridor.
TUNOH
Oil palm and forest plantations, agriculture and eco-tourism have been identified as potential economic activities for Tunoh.
TANJUNG MANIS
Tanjung Manis is being developed into an industrial port city and Halal Hub. The port will have an annual capacity of 200,000 TEUs and 6 million tonnes of general cargo and will play a pivotal role in the future success of the Halal Hub and SCORE. Tanjung Manis Halal Hub will be the largest and most advanced integrated Halal Hub in the world. Tanjung Manis has a number of competitive advantages including a large land bank, extensive infrastructure and the deep water port and airport will be upgraded.
BARAM
The Baram growth node will have at its core hydroelectric power generation, oil palm plantations, forest plantations that use renewable plantation timber to promote the preservation of rainforests with responsible forest management practices, and eco tourism that allows visitors to experience the natural world of the rainforest.
Why SCORE
ecause of stagnant or weak domestic economies, companies worldwide are looking to Asia to expand their operations and geographic reach. Sarawak SCORE offers substantial benefits to potential investors and is a safe and vibrant location to base a business, particularly those that require a safe and consistent supply of clean energy.
Here are a few more reasons why SCORE should be your destination of choice:
- The State government has invested heavily in hydropower infrastructure in SCORE, allowing it to offer competitively priced clean energy to investors.
- Long term, the State has the potential to deliver 20,000MW of clean electricity generating total energy output of 87,000 Hwh per year.
- SCORE is expected to be the leading producer of inexpensive energy in the region by 2030.
- The State Government has created RECODA to assist potential investors at every step of the way.
- Other infrastructure investments include development of ports and upgrading of rural airports, new roads and highways and the installation of reliable communication systems.
- SCORE is within 5 hours flying time of 3 billion people, making it an ideal location for international firms looking for an overseas location.
- Excellent incentive programmes to match the needs of any investor needs with the potential for up to 100% tax exemption.
- A well established political model that closely follows the UK parliamentary system.
- A capable and young workforce, schooled in the English language, which makes communication a lot easier.
Tenders & Contracts
When the government procures goods or services, it normally creates a formal document that outlines the work to be done on a specific project.
This document is known as a tender. The tender lays out the criteria a company must meet in order to bid for the project, what the project is and a request for a quote and examples of previous experience.
If you believe your organisation meets the criteria of a specific project, you can bid for the project by purchasing the tender and submitting your response to the tender.
There will be ongoing opportunities for private sector companies to participate in the development of SCORE via tenders. We recommend you come back on a regular basis to learn of future tenders.
When tenders related to SCORE are announced, information and a link to the relevant agency will appear here. Many of the tenders are issued through the following State Government agencies:
JKR (Public Works Department, Sarawak)
Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation
Bintulu Development Authority