Malaysia Stresses Urgency of Grid Modernisation, Regional Cooperation at APEC
From Harizah Hanim Mohamed
BUSAN, Aug 28 (Bernama) – Malaysia stands ready to work with 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies to build power systems that are resilient, adaptive, and capable of supporting the shared transition to low-carbon growth, said Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.
In his three-minute intervention session at the Thematic Session 2: Strengthening Grid Security and Reliability here today, he stressed that strengthening grid security and reliability is one of the most pressing challenges as economies move rapidly towards greater electrification and higher shares of renewable energy.
“Our transmission and distribution systems must be expanded and modernised. The variability of renewable generation, coupled with ageing infrastructure, limited transmission capacity, and growing cyber risks, makes this task all the more urgent,” he said.
The session is one of the highlights of the 15th APEC Energy Ministers Meeting (EMM), a ministerial-level meeting under APEC and a continuation of the previous session held in Lima, Peru, last year.
Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, emphasised that regional cooperation is vital and, through APEC, best practices can be shared, standards harmonised, and cross-border infrastructure projects advanced.
“No economy can achieve grid reliability in isolation, and through regional cooperation, we strengthen our collective resilience and ensure that our grids are ready to meet the needs of a clean energy future,” he said.
He added that the Malaysian government recognises that grid readiness is central to its transition.
“Under our National Energy Transition Roadmap, we are prioritising transmission expansion and grid modernisation to ensure that large-scale renewables can be integrated safely and reliably.
“At the same time, we are advancing interconnections with our ASEAN neighbours through the ASEAN Power Grid, because regional energy security can only be achieved if our networks are interconnected and resilient across borders,” he said.
Earlier, Malaysia also made an intervention during Thematic Session 1: Electricity Expansion for a Stable Supply Open Discussion, where Fadillah highlighted that Malaysia has removed restrictions on renewable exports and is establishing a renewable energy exchange system.
“To promote investment, we have implemented competitive bidding for large-scale solar and introduced the Corporate Green Power Programme to enable corporate renewable energy procurement.
“These initiatives create transparency and confidence for investors while ensuring efficient market operation,” he added.
Fadillah is on an official working visit here until Aug 29 in conjunction with the 15th EMM.
-- BERNAMA
