KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 13): Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has expressed interest to participate in the development and operation of energy solutions in Indonesia's Ibu Kota Negara (IKN) Authority across various areas of gas, solar, wind, hydro and battery storage.

TNB, in a letter of intent (LOI) to IKN, further said it wants to explore any opportunity in the grid interconnection business through collaboration with PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to develop a secure and reliable high-voltage transmission infrastructure in the Global City for All, IKN Nusantara.

In a statement, TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Baharin Din said the LOI will help strengthen the bilateral relations and cooperation of both countries and expedite the development of clean energy in both countries.

“Both TNB and PLN will mutually benefit from this sharing of expertise and experience in facing the challenges of energy transition,” said Baharin.

The handing over of the LOI was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was on a two-day visit to Indonesia which ended on Jan 9, 2023.

Baharin also handed over another LOI to PLN transmission and system planning director Evy Haryadi to review a previous memorandum of understanding to collaborate on pursuing a responsible energy transition, in line with the sustainability commitments of both leading energy corporations.

“Both TNB and PLN will mutually benefit from this sharing of expertise and experience in facing the challenges of energy transition,” he said.

He added the interconnection between Sumatera and Peninsular Malaysia is part of the Asean Power Grid.

“Once this project is completed, countries in the Asean region will be able to share RE (renewable energy) generation resources, participate in multilateral power trading and provide energy security for the region,” said Baharin.