KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The government is eager to explore the potential of green hydrogen as a fuel alternative towards the nation’s green mobility agenda.

Minister of National Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the government in collaboration with utilities like Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), will explore the prospect of harnessing the new energy carrier and its economic effects.

"We aim to unlock the hydrogen economy through the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and the Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap (HETR) that are targeted to be rolled out later this year.

"This includes how we can attract investments towards its production and ultimately pave the way for Malaysia to become a main export hub for green hydrogen by 2027. Increasingly, we are seeing the value in cooperation to drive the transition domestically, regionally and internationally,” he said in his opening remarks at the Energy Transition Conference launching ceremony, here today.

Moreover, he said the energy transition and climate change action requires the involvement and contribution of various sectors to ensure that humanity continues to thrive.

"We also hope that the businesses and civil society will continue to put sustainability at the forefront of their work,” he said.

On the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) that will be tabled at the upcoming Parliament sitting, Nik Nazmi said heavy electricity consumers will be required to conduct an energy audit and a higher requirement will be given for buildings of a certain size.

"And as a result of our tariff reform, we already see some of them already took their own initiative because now they (heavy electricity consumers) have to pay a higher bill. So they already took their measures to store more solar energy and practice energy efficiencies,” he said.

Touching on the development of the policy framework for rare earth elements (REE), Nik Nazmi said his ministry will convene a committee chaired by him under the National Minerals Council soon. — Bernama