SINGAPORE, THAILAND EXPORTED ELECTRICITY TO MALAYSIA DURING SUPPLY DISRUPTION -- FADILLAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Singapore and Thailand exported 500 megawatts (MW) and 300 MW of electricity, respectively, to Malaysia during the power outage incident on Oct 15, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He said the initiative demonstrated the effectiveness of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), which supported Malaysia’s power supply system during a critical period in the spirit of regional cooperation.

“The APG is an important initiative for the ASEAN region, as it can strengthen Malaysia’s energy security as well as those of the neighbouring countries,” he said in winding up the policy-level debate on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), also said that the government will launch the Large Scale Solar (LSS 6) Programme early next year.

“The LSS 6 programme is a continuation of LSS 5 and 5+, which have contributed 3.9 gigawatts of capacity with a total investment of RM12 billion and created around 23,400 job opportunities.

“In addition, the government will introduce an additional quota of 300 MW for biogas, biomass and small hydro under the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) mechanism, which is expected to be operational as early as 2028, while the Corporate Renewable Energy Scheme (CRESS) is expected to be implemented with a generation capacity of 500 MW,” he added.

Fadillah also noted that the government has, in principle, agreed to include nuclear energy as one of the country’s sources of electricity generation.

“From an economic perspective, while developing a nuclear power plant requires high initial or capital costs, the long-term generation cost or Levelised Cost of Electricity (COE) is competitive, with a long operational lifespan of 40 to 60 years.

“However, any government decision on building a nuclear power plant will only be made once all safety, regulatory, technical, policy, economic and social prerequisites are fully met to safeguard national interests and security,” he added.

-- BERNAMA