KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to champion the development of the Asean Power Grid (APG) as it hosts a key regional energy forum in October aimed at accelerating South-East Asia’s energy transition, says Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (pic).
The Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister said the Asean Energy Business Forum (AEBF) 2025, to be held from Oct 15 to 17, will be the best platform to expedite the establishment of the APG and to enhance energy resilience, ensure electricity supply security, and promote the integration of renewable energy (RE) across the region.
"This forum will provide a strong foundation for Malaysia to drive the energy transition agenda during the 47th Asean Summit 2025 from Oct 26 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur.
"It will also support the efforts of Asean countries in becoming a green electricity supply hub, in addition to backing Malaysia’s aspiration to achieve a 70% renewable energy (RE) capacity target by 2050," he said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Aug 25).
Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam) had asked the ministry to state the strategy for making AEBF a key platform to attract high-impact green investments and strengthen Malaysia's position as a regional clean energy hub.
Akmal Nasrullah said in line with the Asean energy sector theme for this year – “Powering Asean: Bridging Boundaries, Building Prosperity”, which is also the theme for this year’s AEBF – the ministry was committed to making this forum a strategic cross-border platform, not only in terms of policy and technology cooperation, but also in investment and regional value chains.
"Malaysia will leverage this forum to highlight investment opportunities in renewable energy, hydrogen, low-carbon technologies, smart grids and energy storage," he added.
He explained that although the shift towards renewable energy was essential, achieving the target of 70% RE capacity by 2050 is a significant challenge.
"Therefore, a clear and well-defined roadmap must be established.
"In line with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) launched two years ago, and as we prepare for... the 13th Malaysia Plan, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to the Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organisation (Nepio) to explore alternative clean energy sources, including nuclear energy," he said.
Looking ahead to near-term plans by 2040, he added that the government is intensifying efforts to roll out large-scale solar projects.
Currently, he said, the existing grid can still accommodate new solar capacity, but to ensure better flexibility, especially in managing the intermittent nature of solar energy, the government has deployed battery energy storage systems.
"This will enhance the grid’s flexibility in integrating more solar and hydro-based renewable energy sources in the future," he added.
