The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) together with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) has announced and awarded 29 winners of the National Energy Awards (NEA) 2023 from a total of 114 submissions.
NEA is 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.
Of the 29 winners from Energy Management, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy solutions categories, 23 will go on to represent Malaysia in the ASEAN Energy Awards scheduled for 24 and 25 August 2023, in conjunction with the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting under the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), an intergovernmental organisation that represents the member states’ interests in the energy sector.
Commenting on this year’s NEA submissions, Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said: “Aligning with Malaysia’s commitment to sustainable economic growth, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change organises NEA annually to raise awareness, acceptance and adoption of sustainable energy practices across all industries.
“I applaud the strong participation by the entrants this year and believe they are all truly winners for championing sustainable energy practices.
“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.”
This year’s submissions offered a commendable combined energy reduction of over 1.34 GW in terms of electricity savings, equivalent to carbon emissions reduction of over 23,000 metric tonnes per annum. Of the final NEA winners, nine of them won in the Best Practices in Energy Management category, 11 for Energy Efficiency category and nine for Best Renewable Energy Projects category.
In the highly contested 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.
In the Energy Efficiency category, an international school took the top award, with another national hospital being selected as the runner-up. This category recognises initiatives that adopt sustainable energy practices in a new or retrofitted building.
In the Renewable Energy category, there were submissions from solar, solar to hydrogen, biogas and mini hydro projects from across Malaysia.
The lead judge for NEA, Ir. Chen Thiam Leong, said, “As Malaysia makes serious strides towards combining robust economic growth with climate action, NEA will continue to play a crucial role to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable practices.
“This year, the panel of judges were very pleased by the numerous entries that have demonstrated efforts to make Energy Management, Energy Efficiency and RE mainstream.
“I would like to wish the best of luck to those that have been selected to represent Malaysia at the ASEAN Energy Awards, the region’s highest accolade for promoting the development and adoption of sustainable energy practices. I am confident they will make their mark at the regional level as well.”
The purpose of the AEA awards is to raise public awareness about the best practices for reducing energy use in buildings, businesses, and other settings. The honour aims to motivate businesses to advance energy efficiency, and the development of renewable energy sources that are more resilient, sustainable, and renewable.
