KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 3): The Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2022, tabled by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA), were passed at the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 3). 

The Bills, aimed to amend the Renewable Energy Act 2011 [Act 725] and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011 [Act 726], will include new provisions to enable the smooth transfer of electricity supply autonomy to the Sabah state government.

KeTSA Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the handing over, in principle, would require for the Acts related to electricity supply and regulation to be suspended in Sabah through an order by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Article 95C of the Federal Constitution, which outlines the King’s power by order to extend legislative or executive powers of states.

“Order 95C will empower the Sabah state government to create its own legislation for electricity supply in the state,” he said.

Takiyuddin said the existing Act 725 and Act 726 do not contain provisions that allow the application of these Acts to be suspended in any part of Malaysia like other Acts related to the supply and regulation of electricity supply, such as the Electricity Supply Act 1990 [Act 447] and the Energy Commission Act 2001 [Act 610].

“Therefore, legal provisions to enable the suspension of the application of these two Acts must be prepared in advance, so that the process of handing over of autonomy for electricity supply such as the regulatory aspect of planning and development of renewable energy (RE) can be done and the Sabah State Government will have autonomous power to set the policy and direction of RE development in Sabah,” he said. 

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