KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of the joint development agreement exchange ceremony for power export from Vietnam to Malaysia and Singapore.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the ceremony marked the exchange of documents that signified a collaboration between Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
"The first aim is to supply renewable energy from Vietnam to Malaysia and Singapore.
"Part of it will go to Singapore, part of it will go to Malaysia," he told reporters after attending the ceremony in conjunction with the 46th Asean Summits here on Monday (May 26).
Fadillah explained that part of the energy supply would pass through an undersea cable, which would be underwritten by PETRONAS and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB)
"All these are just part of the detailed parts, and this is just the beginning.
" After this, the technical details need to be discussed, as well as the business model and everything else, which will be discussed in more detail," he said.
When asked whether this was part of the Asean Power Grid (APG) project, Fadillah stated that it would eventually be included.
"So, this will partly become part of the APG, which will partly be on land and partly through undersea cables," he said.
PETRONAS president and chief executive officer Tengku Tan Sri Muhammad Taufik said the joint agreement signing ceremony was a milestone and a major success not only for Malaysia but also for Vietnam and Singapore.
He added that Petronas was proud to work with TNB and other stakeholders.
"God willing, this will serve as a catalyst for the APG in the near future," he said.
TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Ir Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan said the next step would be for TNB to examine the feasibility study on the level and depth of the ventures that they will be undertaking.
"We are going to start soon, hopefully we will complete it soon enough, so that we can have something concrete to inform the public," he said.
Pressed to give a timeline, Megat said that perhaps they are looking for some progress and a number of milestones during the Asean Energy Minister meeting in October.
