KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 18): The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) together with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) have named 29 winners of the National Energy Awards (NEA) 2023 from a total of 114 submissions.

In a statement on Thursday (Aug 17), NRECC said the NEA has been organised annually since 2018 to recognise leading Malaysian corporations and institutions for adopting game-changing sustainability initiatives in line with the nation’s Just Energy Transition, Net Zero, and sustainable development agenda.

The ministry said that of the 29 winners from the Energy Management, Energy Efficiency, and Renewable Energy solutions categories, 23 will go on to represent Malaysia in the ASEAN Energy Awards scheduled for Aug 24-25.

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that aligning with Malaysia’s commitment to sustainable economic growth, the NRECC organises NEA annually to raise awareness, acceptance, and adoption of sustainable energy practices across all industries.

“Malaysia requires everyone to play their part in our race to net zero and the NEA participants have surely led the path with their ideas, innovation, and implementation for all of us to emulate. I am certain more businesses will be inspired by their example and look forward to seeing increased participation in future editions of NEA,” he said.

NRECC said this year’s 114 submissions offered a commendable combined energy reduction of over 1.34 gigawatts in terms of electricity savings, equivalent to a carbon emissions reduction of over 23,000 tonnes per annum.

It said of the final NEA winners, nine of them won in the Best Practices in Energy Management category, 11 in the Energy Efficiency category, and nine in the Best Renewable Energy Projects category.

In the Energy Management category, four national hospitals received recognition for adopting proactive systematic monitoring and control systems to optimise energy consumption, decrease energy costs and reduce overall environmental impact.