Malaysia's minister of economy Rafizi Ramli has said that the government intends to focus on three renewable energy sources - namely biomass, hydrogen and ammonia - after announcing the country had joined the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community (Azec), reported Malay Mail. Azec is an energy bloc consisting of Japan, Australia and all Asean countries except Myanmar.
Ramli led a Malaysian delegation to the Azec ministerial meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on March 4 accompanied by officials from the Economy Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and Malaysian Investment Development Authority.
On being asked whether Malaysia would consider using nuclear energy, Ramli replied that Malaysia has a sufficient workforce to handle the three alternative energy sources.
“In my opinion, we have a lot of opportunities in other alternative energy sources that are less controversial, compared to nuclear (energy)," he said during a press conference on January 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI) on 6 March.
“For example, we have an advantage due to our oil and gas industry, an advantage in terms of labour force in the chemical and mechanical industries that were previously worked in oil and gas fields.
“The alternative energy sources that have bigger prospects in our opinion, for example [are] hydrogen, biomass and ammonia. These are low-hanging fruit that we should focus on.”
Ramli said the cooperation forged via the new grouping would open opportunities for Malaysia to accelerate a green technology transfer and financing for the people’s benefit.
Malaysia to prioritise renewables after joining Azec
