Malaysia’s annual energy usage to increase 4.8% by 2030

By RAHIMI YUNUS / Graphic By TMR

According to the World Energy Markets Observatory (WEMO) 2017 report, Malaysia’s energy usage is projected to increase by 4.8% right up to 2030.

Capgemini SE, an industry consultant, noted that energy for transportation is expected to rise for the next 25 years with an annual expansion rate of 5.3%.

The 19th edition WEMO indicated the country’s final energy requirements will triple by the year 2030, judging by the current consumption levels. With the population of 31.7 million, last year’s consumption alone was 99.5Mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent).

“Malaysia’s total electricity usage accounted for over 80% of consumption for Peninsular Malaysia, followed by Sabah and Sarawak which rose 9.85% from 135.8TWh (terrawatt hour) in 2015 to 149.2TWh in 2016,” read the report.

Capgemini concluded that the region is in for an uphill battle against climate change, along with the demand for energy which oftentimes outpace the increase in sustainable energy.

The WEMO 2017 revealed that South-East Asian nations attempting to shift towards clean energy are facing what it called as “energy trilemma”, which simply translates a tussle between striking energy security balance, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness.

Despite the rising shares of renewable electricity, The data in the report showed that in 2016, the consumption of renewables in Malaysia stood merely at 4.6%, while the rest are largely generated from fos- sil fuels such as coal, natural gas and also oil.

Given that the price of coal is cheaper compared to natural gas, the usage of coal for electricity is expected to increase for most countries in South-East Asia, including Malaysia.

The report also revealed that with 264Mt emitted last year alone, Malaysia, flanked by Taiwan and Singapore at 276Mt and 221Mt respectively — is the second-highest contributors of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the region.

Power generators and automobile emission are among the main contributors to the country’s pollution which has affected the ozone.

The increase of the greenhouse effect plays a big influence on the weather as well as the rise and fall of the ocean waters. It can bring about a storm that causes floods like the recent one we witnessed in Penang.

For that reason, Malaysia aims to slash CO2 from the present 8Mt per capita to 6Mt per capita in 2030, under the Green Technology Master Plan 2017-2030.

The report stated that “in meeting with Malaysia’s energy and climate goals, hydropower will play a crucial role”.

The report also showed that last year, the country’s total capacity of installed hydropower peaked at 6,094MW. Whereas with less than 20% of the technically feasible generation potential utilised, the shared hydropower in electricity generation is about 11%.

Malaysia is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emission intensity of gross domestic products by 45% by 2030 ,upon receipt of climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building from developed countries.

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