KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Peninsular Malaysia's electricity generation capacity has now reached 26,152 megawatts (MW) with an energy reserve of 24 per cent, said Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) Minister cum Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the electricity generation capacity in Sarawak is 5,745 MW with an energy reserve of 25 per cent, while in Sabah the capacity is 1,237 MW with an energy reserve of 6.1 per cent.
"The government is indeed committed to ensuring sufficient energy supply for the country. It is based on three things, namely the security of energy supply, both its sustainability and sustainable supply, while at the same time ensuring a sustainable environment.
"And the third is affordability. To supply energy consumers can afford," Fadillah said during an oral question and answer session in the Dewan Negara today.
He was responding to Senator Baharuddin Ahmad's query on the current status of electricity generation capacity and energy reserves for the Peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak. He also asked whether the existing supply was sufficient to meet the demand and needs of the rapidly growing data centre industry.
Fadillah said that to achieve the three basic points, the government had established the Planning and Implementation Committee for Electricity Supply and Tariff (JPPPET).
Through the committee, the government can determine energy requirements, namely generation and implementation to ensure sufficient supply by awarding contracts through power generation utility companies and determining tariffs.
Meanwhile, JPPPET has projected the electricity supply requirement for data centres to be 12.9 gigawatts in 2030, which is expected to increase to 20.9 gigawatts by 2040.
"Therefore, the meeting approved the projected development plan for Peninsular Malaysia's power development plan for 2024 to 2050 which takes into account the development of new gas-based generation capacity and the increase in renewable energy to meet the projected demand," he said.
As an immediate solution, Petra has identified existing power plants to extend their operating period because the completion of a power plant usually takes four or five years.
— Bernama
