Malaysia Grid Map
Victoria Steigerwald
National Grid, Malaysia (Malay: Grid Nasional) is the high-voltage electric power transmission network in Peninsular Malaysia. It is operated and owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) by its Transmission Division.[1] There are two other electrical grids in Sabah and Sarawak operated by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) respectively.
The system spans the whole of Peninsular Malaysia, transporting electricity in bulk from power generators owned by TNB and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to distributors. The grid also transports directly to large industrial customers, such as steel mills and fertilizer plants.
The beginnings of the National Grid was slowly taking shape in 1964 when the Bangsar Power Station was connected to the Connaught Bridge Power Station, with the line subsequently extended to Malacca.[2]
By 1965, a plan was set to connect the electricity generating plants that were spread out all over the country. Plants identified to be linked were located at Paka in Terengganu, Temengor, Kenering, Bersia and Batang Padang in Perak, Connaught Bridge, Kapar and Serdang in Selangor, Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Perai in Penang, Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan, Pergau in Kelantan, Pasir Gudang in Johor and in Malacca.
The central area network with Connaught Bridge Power Station in Klang was the precursor of the energy grid; it also tapped into the Cameron Highlands Hydro scheme from the Sultan Yussuf Power Station, and was extended into a western network. Late in the 1980s, the loop was complete when Kota Bharu joined the grid.[3]
More than 420[4] transmission substations in the Peninsular Malaysia, with a total installed capacity of 105,305 MVA, are linked together by approximately 21,000 circuit-kilometers[5] of overhead lines and underground cables operating at 132, 275 and 500 kilovolts (kV). The 500 kV transmission system is the single largest transmission system to be ever developed in Malaysia. Begun in 1994, Phase 1 involved the design and construction of the 500kV overhead lines from Gurun, Kedah in the North along the west coast to Kapar, in the central region and from Pasir Gudang to Yong Peng in the south of Peninsular Malaysia.
The total distance covered for the 500 kV transmission lines is 784 circuit-km and the 275 kV portion is 9,257 circuit-km as of February 2017. To cater for the new plant up of generators, namely 3,100 MW Janamanjung Power Plant in the west coast, 372 MW Ulu Jelai Hydro Electric Power Plant in the east coast, and 4,100 MW Tanjung Bin Power Plant in the south, the 500 kV transmission system was extended from Bukit Tarek to Yong Peng via interconnection allows for electricity of Ayer Tawar, Tapah, Bentong South and Lenggeng. The completion of this interconnection allows for electricity transmission to the load centre, which is located in the Klang Valley area of Peninsular Malaysia.
A project involving laying a 730 km high-voltage direct current transmission line and a 670 km undersea cable for the 2,400-megawatt Bakun hydroelectric dam was considered.[6] This would have connected all three of Malaysia's electric utility companies with state grids: Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB). Many of Sabah and Sarawak's generation plants are still not interconnected to a grid.
The National Grid is interconnected in the north to Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)'s transmission system via the 300 kV HVDC interconnection of 300MW capacity and 132 kV HVAC double circuit overhead line of 90MW capacity each, linking Bukit Ketri-Chuping in the state of Perlis with Sadao, Sadao in Thailand.
In the South of Malaysia, the National Grid is connected to the transmission system of Singapore Power Limited (SP) at Senoko via two 230 kV submarine cables with a transmission capacity of 200 MW each.
Power generation capacity connected to the Malaysian National Grid is 22,858 megawatt, with a maximum demand of 17,788 megawatt as of April 2016 according to Suruhanjaya Tenaga.[7] The generation fuel mix in peninsular is 45.55% gas, 50.23% coal, 3.59% hydro and 0.63% from other forms of fuel.[8]
Distribution lines of 66kV, 33 kV, 22 kV, 11 kV, 6.6 kV and 400/230 volt electricity distribution network connect to the National Grid via transmission substations will have their voltages stepped down by transformers.
While in the United States from April 20 to May 3, the 14-member delegation of government and utility representatives will meet with U.S. power companies and industry involved in the design and manufacturing of smart grid technologies and equipment, including company visits in Washington, DC, Austin, TX, and San Francisco, CA. In Washington, the delegation will participate in a roundtable of government and energy association experts to discuss best practices in developing frameworks for smart grid policy and financing.
USTDA will host a public business briefing in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 1 where U.S. companies can learn about upcoming smart grid and energy distribution commercial opportunities in Malaysia and meet one-on-one with delegates to present innovative technologies and solutions. For more information, please visit
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
While Singapore has limited renewable energy resources, we are able to access low-carbon electricity that is abundant in the region by connecting to regional power grids. This also promotes the development of renewable energy in the region and paves the way in realising the ASEAN Power Grid vision.
In July 2022, EMA invited interested companies to submit their proposals for importing up to 4 gigawatts (GW) of electricity in Singapore. As of 29 December 2023, the Request for Proposals (RFP) to appoint licensed electricity importers has concluded, and EMA is currently in the process of evaluating the submissions.
The Conditional Approvals that EMA has granted so far for 1 GW from Cambodia, 2 GW from Indonesia and 1.2 GW from Vietnam have paved the way for Singapore to progress towards its goal of importing 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035.
EMA continues to welcome interested companies to submit further proposals to import and sell low-carbon electricity in Singapore. EMA is open to consider awarding more Conditional Approvals to high-quality final proposals that that are sufficiently attractive and suitable.
The LTMS-PIP successfully commenced on 23 June 2022, marking a historic milestone as the first renewable energy import into Singapore. It is also the first multilateral cross-border electricity trade involving four ASEAN countries.
They are required to provide grid services in a non-discriminatory manner. The conditions of their licences also prohibit them from disclosing confidential information for any purpose, unless permitted by their licences, codes or market rules. They are also prohibited from using confidential information to gain commercial advantage in any service outside of their authorised business. If they fail to comply, they can face enforcement action under Sections 13 and 14 of the Electricity Act.
Regarding electricity imports, SPPA and SPPG will offer prompt and unbiased technical guidance, grid specifications and clarification to parties interested in bidding for importer licences. They will treat all interested parties fairly and not show favouritism.
Separately, SP Group may work with partners to develop generation capabilities in other countries and construct and operate interconnectors, such as offshore subsea transmission cables. These will strengthen the regional grid architecture and better plan for future network requirements to maintain reliability standards.
These projects will be managed by separate entities within SP Group, distinct from SPPA and SPPG. SP Group will comply with conditions set by EMA including maintaining functional and operational separation as required.
Open access to the power grid helps to introduce competition to electricity markets and increase their efficiency by allowing any party selling or buying electricity to use transmission and distribution systems without discrimination, subject to transparent constraints and the uniform application of fees.
While the government has indicated it will need more time to implement the framework while it considers the current tariff structure, the roadmap represents a key moment in deregulation and open access for Malaysia, putting in a pathway so far only achieved in Southeast Asia by Singapore and the Philippines. The roadmap also highlights the importance of cross-border renewable energy trade and the need to establish an electricity exchange system which could help to position Malaysia as a regional hub for renewable energy as well as helping to drive the ASEAN Power Grid initiative, which intends to build electricity interconnectivity within Southeast Asia.
Malaysia is targeting implementation of the new third-party access regime in September this year, covering both renewable and conventional energy, which will allow TNB to benefit from increased grid utilisation and higher wheeling charges.
There have been historical cases in the US, for example, where the transmission and distribution company with generation interests has refused to wheel power from other sources to preserve their distribution monopoly. This has led to antitrust legislation being passed to protect open access to distribution franchises, and the implementation of further energy policies and regulations.
Simply having laws in place to protect open access will not be enough if the country adopting the regime lacks the institutional governance structure necessary to enforce open access. Even in fully deregulated or unbundled markets, the full function of the market can be impeded through the co-ordinated acts of market participants. Strong and transparent regulatory oversight is essential to achieving efficient market outcomes.
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