Malaysia Starts $72 Billion Project Plan to Become 'Smart Grid Nation'

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Malacca, Malaysia, will lay claim to Asia's first "smart grid city" (SGC) after the construction of the Rembia Nucleus SGC. This "green" special economic zone (SEZ) is expected to contribute about $96 billion annually to the country's GDP.

The Malacca SGC and the SEZ are part of the "1Malaysia Smart Grid Nation" project, which aims to make the country an SGC nation by 2020 and then totally carbon-free at some future date. The current target is to reduce carbon emissions 40% from existing levels by 2020.

The macro project will drive the creation of about 20 research and development (R&D) centers, employing approximately 6,800 engineering professionals in the industrial, renewable energy and clean technology sectors. It is expected to create about 300,000 new "green" jobs.

Construction of the first 15-megawatt (MW) solar farm in the Malacca project is scheduled to begin after final government approvals have been granted.

Through 2014, Masers Energy Malaysia Sdn Bhd will invest $30 billion into Malaysia from foreign direct investments (FDI) into the construction of the SGC, renewable energy, electric vehicle infrastructure and green SEZ projects. This includes a 20,000-MW national micro grid and solar farm installation project at its headquarters in the Malacca solar valley to reduce fossil fuel use in the region. A total of $72 billion will be invested in the macro plan.

When completed, the national project will have installed 10 million devices over an area of 640,000 square kilometers in Malaysia.

For related information, see May 1, 2013, article - Japanese, Malaysian Companies to Develop a Renewable Energy-Powered Ferry.

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