SINGAPORE (Oct 26): Energy authorities in Malaysia and Singapore have established a joint working group to harmonise approaches to tracking and accounting for renewable energy certificates.
The certificates, also known as RECs, are tradable credits that represent the environmental attribute of one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from eligible green sources, and prove that a certificate holder is consuming renewable energy.
Close collaboration between regulators is essential to support a secure and reliable electricity supply, facilitate cross-border electricity trade and enable a sustainable energy transition, Siti Safinah Salleh, chief executive officer of Malaysia’s Energy Commission, said in a statement.
The move is part of a renewed memorandum of understanding inked between Malaysia’s Energy Commission and Singapore’s Energy Market Authority to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the energy sector at the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week 2026.
Malaysian RECs cannot be sold overseas. The country has over eight gigawatts of installed renewable generation capacity comprising solar, hydro and other alternative sources.
"Having clarity of the REC framework across the whole of Southeast Asia will go a long way in facilitating investments in renewable energy and encouraging renewable energy trading,” said Energy Market Authority chief executive Puah Kok Keong.
Both countries are continuing to explore other opportunities for cross-border renewable energy sales, including imports of solar power from Malaysia as well as offshore wind from Vietnam.
Singapore, meanwhile, recently granted a conditional approval to Sembcorp Utilities to import 1.3 gigawatts of renewable energy from and through Malaysia.