Malaysia Day is more than a commemoration; it is a reminder that our nation’s progress has always been anchored in unity.

In 1963, unity brought Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak together. In 2025, the same spirit must guide us through one of the defining challenges of our time: the transition to clean, reliable and inclusive energy.

The National Energy Balance 2021 recorded coal at 49.2 per cent of electricity generation, gas at 30.7 per cent, and renewables just under 20 per cent.

Installed capacity stood at 37,422 MW, with gas at 40.1 per cent, coal at 35.5 per cent, hydro at 16.6 per cent, and solar at 4.5 per cent.

More recent government updates, supported by estimates from international agencies such as IRENA and global think tanks such as Ember, show renewables rising to around 26 per cent of installed capacity by mid-2025, with low-carbon sources contributing about 19 per cent of generation in 2024.

This confirms that aligned policies, investment and behaviour can deliver real progress.

The Malaysia Renewable Energy Roadmap (MyRER) sets interim goals of 31 per cent renewables in capacity by 2025 and 40 per cent by 2035.

The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), launched in 2023, extends this ambition to 70 per cent by 2050, alongside Malaysia’s net-zero greenhouse gas pledge.

Safeguarding Malaysia’s growth in a low-carbon world

These milestones are not just technical markers but commitments to safeguard Malaysia’s growth in a low-carbon world.

Yet policies and technologies alone will not be enough. Behaviour matters. Here, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) offers vital lessons. OCB refers to voluntary actions that go beyond formal duties, such as helping colleagues, sharing knowledge, or supporting sustainability.

Applied to the energy transition, OCB reflects the willingness of leaders, civil servants, community groups and organisations to act beyond narrow mandates for the common good. It is, in essence, unity in action at every level of society.

This ethos mirrors the unity we celebrate on Malaysia Day. Just as Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak embraced cooperation in 1963, OCB shows how voluntary acts of unity can transform roadmaps like MyRER and NETR into real outcomes. National unity sets the direction, but OCB provides the collective drive to realise it.

Each region contributes distinct strengths. Peninsular Malaysia anchors institutions, markets and technical expertise.

Sarawak has become a clean-energy leader, with 5,898 MW of available generation capacity, mostly hydropower. The Baleh Dam, at 1,285 MW, is due for commissioning in 2030, helping Sarawak reach 10 GW by 2030 and 15 GW by 2035.

Sarawak has also moved into green hydrogen, launching Southeast Asia’s first integrated pilot plant in 2024.

Sabah is scaling up solar and biomass while strengthening its transmission system.

The Sabah–Sarawak interconnection is a symbol of unity in action. This 275-kilovolt line will allow electricity to flow in both directions, improving reliability and enabling renewable integration. Sabah completed its section in 2024, while Sarawak will energise its side in 2025.

From October this year, Sarawak will begin supplying an initial 30 MW to Sabah, the first step towards a Borneo Grid and, eventually, greater ASEAN connectivity.

A national mission

Moving forward, priorities are clear. Completing the Borneo backbone and linking it with Peninsular reforms must be treated as a national mission.

Leaders must embody OCB by going beyond silos to champion sustainability. Organisations should value voluntary contributions that accelerate the transition.

Above all, federal and state policies must move together so that Sarawak’s hydropower, Sabah’s grid upgrades and Peninsular reforms reinforce one another.

The energy transition is not only an engineering project but a nation-building endeavour that requires fairness, trust and participation.

On this Malaysia Day, unity should not remain history. It must live in practice.

If Peninsular Malaysia provides market strength, Sarawak delivers clean power, and Sabah strengthens the grid, then OCB woven across leadership and society will carry Malaysia towards a future that is cleaner, more reliable and more inclusive.

Unity forged our nation, and interconnected resolve will sustain it.

-- BERNAMA

Ts Dr Amar Hisham Jaaffar is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator for the Master in Energy Management at the College of Graduate Studies (COGS), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).