Sarawak Discovers RM1.25 Trillion Worth Of Gold, Rare Earths & Precious Metals
The state government expects to discover more natural resources in 30% of the unsurveyed land areas.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 19 Jun 2024, 12:44 PM
The Sarawak state government has discovered an estimated RM1.25 trillion worth of gold, rare earth, bauxite, and other precious metals in land areas within the state
According to The Vibes, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said the state's geological department made the discovery after surveying 32% of the total land area of 12.4 million hectares.
"These minerals included gold, rare earth, bauxite, and other precious metals, and there is enormous potential for more discoveries.
"We are planning to survey another 30% of the state. We have 12.4 million hectares of land in Sarawak and are confident of finding more new mineral deposits," he said.
Amar Awang, who recently returned from a trip to Canada to study their mining expertise, mentioned that the state government intends to apply the latest mining technology from Canada to extract Sarawak's precious metal resources.
Previously, gold was only found in the Bau district, about a 42-minute southwest drive from Kuching
"We now have discovered big gold deposits in the Sri Aman district [about a 2.5-hour east drive from Kuching] and are planning to use Canadian technology to tap the mineral resources in Sarawak," added Amar Awang.
The proposal for extensive mineral mining in Sarawak comes after the recent announcement of the state government's plan to build an additional 10 hydroelectric dams across the state.
In May 2020, then-energy and natural resources minister Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said Malaysia possessed RM4.1 trillion worth of mineral resources based on current prices at the time, reported Bernama.
According to a study by the Department of Mineral and Geoscience, this valuation encompassed three primary categories of minerals: metallic minerals, non-metallic minerals, and coal.
