Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) stated that collaboration in energy trading, particularly from renewable sources, will be crucial for sustainability and energy sufficiency.
Project Director of Project Management Office Sustainability Pathway 2050 Strategy and Ventures Division, Dr Noor Miza Muhamad Rahal stated that grid-interconnection is good for power systems everywhere beyond energy transfer because it provides stability to the systems.
She said that this is dependent on each country’s internal consumption of renewable energies and how they view the sustainability agenda.
TNB signed a tripartite deal in September 2017 that saw them agree to purchase 100MW from Laos and use the transmission grid of their mutual neighbor Thailand.
“It is a practice to trade RE from one country to another within ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and definitely globally,” she said.
“When we talk about Malaysia, we should not discount the fact that Sarawak has its interconnection with Indonesia and Sabah as well. Sabah is also very close to the Philippines … so definitely there are opportunities (for future trading) as well,” she said.
Dr Noor Miza stated that TNB is making steady progress in its RE growth strategy to reach 8.3GW of renewable energy before 2035. Currently, TNB’s total installed renewable energy capacity is 3.4GW, which includes the domestic sun (0.2GW), domestic hydro (2.5GW), and international solar, wind, and hydro (0.7GW).
TNB said it will continue to expand its renewable energy investments in abroad markets with its existing footprint, and the company will explore new markets too. She cited emerging focus areas such as wind turbines and solar panels, green hydrogen and energy storage.
She added that “We will invest in and grow our emerging green technology, to reach net-zero and coal-free goals by 2050.”
TNB formed a New Energy Division in late 2021 to increase its RE portfolio in specific markets and establish strategic partnerships with top RE players to benefit from their technical expertise.
The New Energy Division streamlines TNB’s renewable energy expansion arms. It oversees two key entities: Vantage RE Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary, which focuses on Europe and the United Kingdom, and TNB Renewables, which focuses on the domestic and South-East Asian markets.
