Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the largest electric utility in Malaysia, has reportedly inked an agreement with Singaporean solar energy company, Sunseap Group, for launching a joint venture to try out clean electricity imports from Malaysia to Singapore. The collaboration will import an overall 100MW of electricity via the venture, to be generated from renewable sources of energy.
As per reliable sources, the electricity that will be brought in by the companies could amount to nearly 1.5 per cent of the apex electricity demand in Singapore. The imports are speculated to begin as early as the end of 2021 through the existing electricity interconnection between Malaysia and Singapore.
Back in October 2020, Singapore had announced plans to test clean energy imported from Malaysia across a period of two years for the assessment and refining of regulatory and technical frameworks for power imports into the city-state. The country also aimed to enhance the security of its energy supply as part of a series of moves intended to lower its carbon footprint.
Highlighting the significance of the venture, Sunseap’s Co-founder and Chief Executive, Frank Phuan, stated that the venture will contribute to the long term efforts of Singapore to fuel its future via green and clean energy sources. The company is thrilled to partner with Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia’s leading utility company and a renowned power grid operator, added Phuan.
Sunseap has a pipeline of projects in the region, including in Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Australia, Taiwan, and China. In October of 2020, the company had announced plans that it will be supplying Facebook with renewable energy for supporting its operations in Singapore, also covering the custom-built data centre of the tech giant.
If successful, TNB and Sunseap’s joint venture will make investments in numerous solar farms across Malaysia, tapping other forms of clean energy, comprising hydro-electricity, from the existing plants of TNB for ensuring a stable and reliable supply of power into Singapore.
Source credit: https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/sunseap-tenaga-in-tie-up-to-trial-clean-energy-imports-into-singapore