Clock ticking for Malaysia to decarbonise

Free Malaysia Today

With climate risks rising and global momentum building around decarbonisation, Malaysia urgently needs to boost its renewable energy share.   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/12/15/clock-ticking-for-malaysia-to-decarbonise   Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/12/15/dekarbonisasi-masa-kian-suntuk-untuk-malaysia   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTSpecialReport

Transcript

00:00Malaysia is in transition, evolving from a low-cost, low-wage economy into a higher-value,

00:07greener one rooted in manufacturing and high-tech industries. Today, the nation is rapidly

00:14industrializing, with new economic sectors and vast industrial parks driving unprecedented growth.

00:21But industrialization brings heavy environmental costs,

00:25particularly from greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming.

00:30And Malaysia is already feeling the consequences.

00:33Bob Ward, Policy and Communications Director at the LSE's Grandson Research Institute,

00:39warns that these effects will only begin to ease once the world reaches net-zero emissions,

00:45making the shift to clean energy and lower carbon output essential for every country.

00:50Bob Ward, Policy and Communications Director at the LSE's Grandson Research Institute,

00:51We have a fossil fuel industry that is driving up carbon dioxide emissions,

00:56making the world more inhospitable, increasing the cost for households and businesses.

01:01That can't possibly be sustainable. And we know now how to replace it with alternatives.

01:08And that is going to be clean, cheap energy that's going to be more secure, more affordable,

01:15more accessible. And then from that, we can develop our industries that are more dependent

01:23on clean, green energy, move away from fossil fuels in the other parts of our economy.

01:30Falling behind on this could harm the economy and stall progress, leading to trade barriers,

01:36reduced market access and missed opportunities.

01:38To address this, Malaysia's National Energy Transition Roadmap, launched in 2023,

01:45aims to push the country towards 70% renewable energy by 2050.

01:51A key focus is industrial parks, where emissions are concentrated and reductions can be achieved

01:57fastest. Leading these efforts is UEM Leicester of Berhardt, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UEM

02:04Group Berhardt, supported by its subsidiary, Neur Power Sendian Berhardt, as they work to integrate

02:10renewable energy solutions into Malaysia's industrial zones by allocating around 1.5 billion ringgit to

02:17decarbonize industrial parks. As part of this initiative, UEM Leicester has spearheaded the

02:23development of a 1 gigawatt hybrid solar power plant in Sagama, Johor. UEM Leicester's managing director,

02:31Harman Faiz Habib Mohamad, also highlighted the strategic importance of acquiring a majority stake

02:37in Neur Power, the energy provider for Kulem Hightech Park in Kedah.

02:42So Kulem Hightech Park is one of the biggest industrial parks in the country. It has a high

02:51percentage of semiconductor industries in there, and that makes it very unique in that sense.

02:58And this is a unique, basically, situation because you don't normally get an industrial park

03:07that comes with the power source nearby. As KHTP moves towards becoming a smart,

03:14green industrial park, it is emerging as a key hub for clean energy. Plans now include a solar plant of

03:21up to 500 megawatt jointly developed by UEM Leicester and Neur Power. While Neur Power is also

03:28investing in district cooling systems, battery storage solutions and low demand response technologies

03:34to help tenants meet carbon credit requirements and sustainability goals.

03:38With the acquisition of Neur Power, we see a lot more opportunities to go into other industrial

03:46parks beyond Kulem. And that's where we want to go and explore. We're talking to a few industrial

03:53parks already and trying to bring green electrons to them. KHTP represents an early step in the country's

04:01efforts to reduce emissions, support green employment, and promote more sustainable growth.

04:07Harman pointed out that Malaysia's growing green economy would create multiplier effects,

04:12including high-quality jobs and a stronger middle class. As Malaysia's environmental health and economic

04:19future depend on expanding renewable energy across its industrial sector, decarbonization is no longer

04:26optional but vital for maintaining global competitiveness. Narmatha Raja, FMT.

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