It’s been a rocky road so far for the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s promising new project. This high speed train connecting 1287.5 kilometres of the state was called “a bullet train that is both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world” by Elon Musk. It was to be the start of a revolutionary new transport system connecting the west coast of the US up to Vancouver in Canada. It would also go east to Las Vegas before eventually threading its way across the entire continent. The scheme was endorsed by Presidents Obama and Biden.

Sabah is keen to expand the biomass industry, given its benefits to green energy and related downstream industries. Sabah Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Phoong Jin Zhe said most countries were now transitioning or in the process of adapting green technology or green energy. In realising the advantages of biomass in the production of high value-added products, such as bio-pellets, bio-fuels and bio-based chemicals, Phoong said his ministry is drafting the Sabah Biomass Policy to further develop the industry.

The Penang Development Corporation (PDC), a state government agency, has set forth plans to expand its presence in the renewable energy (RE) sector, specifically focusing on solar energy, with the intention of making it one of its core businesses in the future. According to Datuk Aziz Bakar, the Chief Executive Officer of PDC, this move aligns with the state’s vision of transitioning to a green economy and the country’s goal of having RE account for 70% of its electricity generation by 2050.

This is part of TNB’s ongoing drive to strengthen the Asean Power Grid (APG) interconnectivity and to reinforce TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd’s (TNB Genco) presence as the power generation arm in Asean countries. In a statement, the utility company said it is keen to form a joint collaboration committee to optimise resource utilisation, bolster energy security, and promote knowledge and expertise sharing through innovative mechanisms for energy exchange, leveraging TNB’s educational and research institutions.

Egypt's natural gas production fell to a three-year low in the first five months of 2023, figures from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) show, raising questions about the country's efforts to position itself as a regional energy hub. Currently the country is grappling with power shortages when a heatwave has driven up demand for cooling. Gas production between January and May declined by 9% year-on-year and 12% when compared to the same period in 2021.

Singapore is seeking alternative sources of green-energy imports to meet its ambitious climate goals, as talks with Indonesia continue to stall. Officials from Singapore have already started visiting other countries, mostly around Southeast Asia, to secure supplies of renewable energy, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean. Speaking to Indonesian news outlets in Singapore earlier this month, Teo said the country was looking for sources of green electricity “not just from Indonesia”.

Malaysia announced a radical plan on Thursday to lease rooftops to install solar power, as the government seeks to raise the nation’s share of renewable energy to 70 per cent of total power generation by 2050. The concept is to pay households for their roof space to generate solar energy. It is one of several measures the government intends to implement under its National Energy Transition Roadmap. The road map “is designed to break the mould and make clean energy a financially relevant option to most households today”, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said.

Eighteen months into a historic interest-rate upcycle, South-East Asia’s economic prospects continue to stand out in a world faced with high inflation and soft demand. Three long-term trends will ensure that this dynamic region remains the growth engine of the world. Our latest forecast is for the six largest economies in South-East Asia to grow by 4.2% this year and 4.8% next year, far outstripping the expansion expected in the developed world (1.1% in 2023 and 0.7% in 2024).

Malaysia has launched programs to promote renewable energy in a country that has relied heavily on fossil fuels, hoping to lead Southeast Asia in transition to a greener economy. But the ambitious targets, such as having renewables supply 70% of the total energy supply by 2050, have experts stressing that the government needs to roll out complementary regulatory frameworks to support the transition.    

The Council of the EU has adopted new rules intended to make it much easier for EV owners to travel across Europe, while simultaneously helping to reduce the output of harmful greenhouse gases. The new regulation is set to benefit owners of electric cars and vans in three ways: It reduces range anxiety by expanding the EV charging infrastructure along Europe’s main highways, it makes payments “at the pump” easier without requiring an app or subscription, and ensures pricing and availability is clearly communicated to avoid surprises.

A new EV battery topology that could revolutionise the electric vehicle (EV) industry has been unveiled by the Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS). A joint venture between CNRS, Stellantis, and Saft, IBIS aims to develop a battery system that integrates the inverter and charger functions directly into the lithium-ion modules. This innovation not only enhances the range of EVs but also reduces costs and frees up space within vehicles.

Malaysia has not been spared from the impact of climate change, from the intense heatwaves of recent months to the coming flood season. If the country does not change its course, economic growth will be at a standstill, said Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad at the Climate Finance Summit last Thursday (July 20). Nik Nazmi, who gave the keynote speech at the summit, shared his experience witnessing the sea level rise and coastal erosion in Malaysia.