Menke speaks with The Borneo Post. — Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad
 

KUCHING (June 8): The Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference and Exhibition (APGH) 2026 will focus on resetting Sarawak’s hydrogen ambitions towards more realistic projects and a clearer implementation pathway over the next three to five years.

Conference chairman Prof Christoph Menke said the second edition of APGH would review the progress made since the inaugural conference held in 2024, including what had worked, what fell short of expectations, and what needs readjustments.

“The first one was about thinking big and everybody was very enthusiastic about what could be done.

“Now, the first steps have been taken and lessons have been learned. There has been positive feedback but some problems and challenges also occurred.

“It is now time to relook at what has worked, what did not work, and how we can progress,” he told The Borneo Post on Monday.

Menke, who is a senior energy advisor at Trier University of Applied Sciences in Germany, said the key outcome expected from APGH 2026 was a revised and adjusted approach for Sarawak to move forward with green hydrogen development.

He said expectations surrounding green hydrogen had changed over the past two years amid geopolitical developments, technological investments and the realisation that green hydrogen could be more expensive than initially anticipated.

As such, he hoped participants would leave the conference with more realistic ideas and projects, as well as a clearer understanding of what could be implemented within the next three to five years.

“At the first conference, there were very high ambitions, which were good, but some of them had to be adjusted.

“Now, we have to make these expectations more realistic. We have to look at financing, technologies, off-takers and markets,” he said.

Menke also noted that Sarawak possessed many of the necessary elements to assume a central role in supplying green fuels, including surplus renewable energy, biomass resources, industrial capabilities, ports and an established record as an energy exporter.

“Sarawak is meant to be the place which has it all,” he said.

He added that APGH 2026 intended to encourage open and intensive discussions among ministries, industry players and other stakeholders to build a common understanding of the next steps required.

“At the end of this conference, I hope the ministries, stakeholders and different players in the region will have a good common understanding of what the next step forward will be, so that the next APGH in 2028 will be an even bigger success,” he said.

APGH 2026, themed ‘Empowering the Future — Delivering a Resilient Hydrogen Ecosystem’, will be held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching from June 9 to 11 and is expected to draw about 800 delegates.

Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg will officiate at the conference on Tuesday and participate in a visionary dialogue moderated by International Energy Agency executive director emeritus Nobuo Tanaka.

Tanaka will also deliver a keynote address on the geopolitical contest between traditional petroleum-producing states and countries positioned to benefit from renewable electricity, including how Asia can emerge as a winner in the changing energy landscape.

Other sessions will examine the recalibration of Asia’s hydrogen ambitions, the role of clean hydrogen amid the current oil and gas crisis, as well as the financing, regulation and technologies needed to develop viable hydrogen projects.

Among the featured speakers are China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, MyDIGITAL Corporation chief executive officer Adrian Marcellus, World Economic Forum managing director Gim Huay Neo, and Sarawak Deputy State Secretary for Economic Planning and Development Dato Sri Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel.

The conference will culminate on Thursday with the official launch of the Sarawak Transitioning Industrial Cluster, Malaysia’s first cluster under the World Economic Forum’s Transitioning Industrial Clusters initiative.

Abang Johari will also deliver a special address on strategic industrial clusters in the next energy era.

The three-day programme will feature 10 plenary sessions, panel discussions, case studies and technology and industry presentations, alongside an exhibition showcasing hydrogen and clean-energy solutions.