Photo 1. Participants of the “Capacity Building for BESS Operations in Malaysia” workshop.
Kuala Lumpur, 15 April 2026 – Key stakeholders from across Malaysia’s power sector convened today for the “Capacity Building for BESS Operations in Malaysia” workshop, hosted by Grid System Operator (GSO) of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).
The two-day workshop brought together representatives from the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), MyPower, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Grid System Operators, Suruhanjaya Tenaga, Single Buyer, Sarawak Energy Berhad, and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, to strengthen operational readiness for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) deployment in Malaysia.
The workshop comes at a critical time in Malaysia’s energy transition, as the country advances efforts to modernise its power system, enhance grid reliability, and support higher integration of renewable energy.
Throughout the workshop, participants discussed how BESS can support system operations by managing renewable energy variability, providing fast frequency response and operating reserves, and supporting grid flexibility and transmission reliability, improving system response during disturbances and contingencies.
The workshop also featured practical lessons from existing BESS deployments in Sabah and Sarawak, highlighting how Malaysian utilities are already using battery storage to improve reliability and strengthen system operations.
Photo 2. Shanmugam Thoppalan, Head of Grid System Operator (GSO) Malaysia (left) with Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE (right).
In his remarks, ACE highlighted that BESS will play an increasingly important role not only in supporting Malaysia’s domestic power system, but also in strengthening regional power integration under the ASEAN Power Grid.
As Malaysia continues to advance its energy transition, the workshop demonstrates the strong commitment of national stakeholders to build the technical capability, institutional coordination, and operational readiness needed to support the integration of emerging technologies such as BESS.
