KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) exported its maiden renewable energy (RE) supply to Singapore at 11:30am today in a momentous occasion that reaffirmed the national electricity corporation's strong dedication to fast-track Asean energy transformation.
The historical event was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir at TNB's national load and despatch centre in Bangsar.
The inaugural cross-border RE supply from Malaysia to the island-state came about just four days after TNB and Singapore's licensed electricity importer Sembcorp Power Pte Ltd inked a renewable energy supply agreement (RESA) on Dec 9.
Under the agreement, Singapore has agreed to import 50 megawatts (MW) of green energy issued with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
The 50MW is the result of a bidding process conducted through Energy Exchange Malaysia (Enegem) in June.
The arrangement forms part of the Cross-border Electricity Sales for Renewable Energy (CBES RE) scheme which is aligned with the Asean Power Grid (APG) initiative and Malaysia's energy transition goal.
"This first-ever RE export with RECs into Singapore is part of Petra's initiative under the CBES RE scheme.
"This was made possible with the support and facilitative efforts of Energy Commission, TNB, Grid System Operator, Single Buyer the operator of ENEGEM, and Sembcorp," said Akmal Nasrullah.
"The export of this green energy to Singapore reinforces Asean members' ongoing efforts to realise the APG, which envisions a sustainable and interconnected energy system.
"As a key driver for APG, Malaysia wants to expedite the adoption of energy in the region and is actively engaging with its Asean counterparts to propel the APG, which will reinforce energy connectivity and security in Asean."
He added that Petra is confident that the cross-border green power supply will support the nation's aspiration of energy transition.
"This will also contribute towards Malaysia's commitment in driving the region's integrated electricity supply initiative through the APG which is part of the main agenda for the country as the chair of Asean in 2025," he added.
Earlier, Akmal Nasrullah was briefed on cross-border RE power supply by TNB head of grid system operator Shanmugam Thoppalan.
TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan said the 50MW energy exports will fortify Malaysia's decarbonisation efforts by spurring new investment in the generation of large scale RE by TNB and other energy players.
"As it is, the interconnection capacity between Malaysia and Singapore stands at 1,000MW.
"Of this, 300MW is allocated for the CBES RE scheme and 200MW for the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore power integration project's Phase 2. Only 50MW is being exported under the CBES RE for now."
Stressing that TNB is at the forefront of driving the APG, he said the initial supply of 50MW to Singapore Malaysia reflects the company's determination to further advance Asean's RE goals and fortify the region's energy integration.
"We remain steadfast in our goal to position Malaysia as Asean's key player in green electricity trading."