PUTRAJAYA: The government will finalise Malaysia's Energy Transition Roadmap within three months, according to Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
The roadmap will translate into energy transition projects with new high-value jobs as the government leverages on the opportunities presented under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC).
"This plan will be led by large as well as small and medium companies. Usually energy-transition projects are limited to big companies but under this plan, we will also make it accessible to small and medium firms to ensure they can grab the opportunities presented from the technology," he said.
The minister announced that Malaysia had officially joined AZEC, an energy bloc consisting of Japan, Australia and Asean countries except Myanmar.
AZEC is aimed at driving energy transition from hydrocarbon sources to clean energy and renewable energy.
Rafizi said he had led a Malaysian delegation to the AZEC ministerial meeting in Tokyo, Japan on March 4, accompanied by officials from the ministry as well as the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Malaysia must focus on hydrogen, biomass and ammonium which he said were "low hanging fruits" that the country could benefit from in terms of energy transition.
Malaysia can also benefit from the high demand for these alternative energies given that the country has existing talents.
"We have talents in liquified natural gas and we need to transition these talents towards alternative energy sources such as hydrogen. Many countries are way ahead of us. By working on this, it would provide us with ample opportunities to meet the global demand on alternative energy," he said.
On the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Rafizi said the government had introduced Menu Rahmah to reduce the price of ready-made food, which was among the main components that had contributed to inflation in the past months.
"When ready-made foods are sold at a low price either via Menu Rahmah or Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat, it would create a competitive environment in the market and ease the price of ready-made foods in the coming months. Subsequently, this would help the government to curb inflation," he said.
The CPI eased to 3.7 per cent in January from 3.8 per cent in December 2022, while core inflation stood at 3.9 per cent.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/business/2023/03/886404/malaysias-energy-transition-blueprint-be-finalised-three-months-says-rafizi