Natural Gas Important For Malaysia's Sustainable Energy Mix

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Natural gas has an important role to play in the country’s transition to a sustainable energy mix and ensuring energy sustainability in line with the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change’s (MESTECC) focus to increase the contribution of renewable energy to the Malaysian power sector. Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) president Hazli Sham Kassim said MESTECC’s 2019 Initiatives aimed to achieve 20 per cent renewable energy capacity mix and eight per cent savings through energy efficiency by 2025. “The inherent properties of natural gas as the cleanest burning fossil fuel make it the perfect partner to achieve these targets,” he said in a statement Thursday. Hazli said natural gas was a viable option to strengthen Peninsular Malaysia’s electricity grid, optimise the reserve margin, improve system reliability and mitigate any intermittencies in renewable power generation, especially solar photovoltaic and thus providing a long-term energy solution for a sustainable future. “With increasing use of renewables, the issue of power supply intermittency becomes a pressing concern, which can be addressed effectively through gas-fired turbines that have the flexibility of quick start-up and short ramp-up times,” he said. Hazli added that MGA would continue to facilitate the growth of natural gas industry and encourage greater usage of natural gas, as it offered integrated innovative gas solutions for the country’s long-term energy mix. -- BERNAMA