TNB (Malaysia) proposes regional grid interconnection cooperation with EVN (Vietnam) via land and subsea routes

EVN General Director receives and works with the TNB General Director.

TNB’s CEO provided an overview of the company’s domestic operations and shared its strategic roadmap. TNB aims to reduce its emission intensity by 35% by 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To realize these goals, TNB is focusing on two key pillars: digital transformation and decarbonization across the electricity value chain.

Malaysia is currently implementing a 1,000 MW centralized solar project, along with a 2,500 MW floating solar power plant. In parallel, its thermal power plants are gradually transitioning from coal to natural gas to reduce emissions and protect the environment.

At the regional level, the TNB CEO emphasized the company's intention to strengthen cooperation with other ASEAN power utilities to jointly develop clean energy sources, apply environmentally friendly technologies, and establish a regionally interconnected power transmission network, including land-based and subsea interconnections between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Speaking at the meeting, EVN CEO Nguyễn Anh Tuấn highlighted the similarities between EVN and TNB in terms of their roles, operational scopes, and the common challenges both utilities are facing. Vietnam's national power system currently has a total installed generation capacity of approximately 84,000 MW, with EVN accounting for about 38.5%.

With the Vietnamese government targeting double-digit GDP growth for the 2026–2030 period, national electricity demand is expected to surge, posing a pressing challenge for EVN to ensure a reliable and stable power supply, particularly in the context of rapidly growing renewable energy deployment.

To support the integration of distributed energy resources, EVN is progressively investing in a modern and synchronized power transmission infrastructure. EVN is also actively engaged in cross-border electricity trading with Cambodia, Laos, and China.

EVN’s leadership expressed strong support for elevating the cooperative relationship between the two utilities to a strategic level, enabling the exchange of expertise and the successful implementation of tasks assigned by the governments of both countries.

EVN hopes that following this meeting, the two sides will continue to conduct in-depth technical discussions, aiming to establish a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation. Such a partnership would leverage the strengths and potential of both EVN and TNB, contributing to the sustainable development of the power sectors in Vietnam, Malaysia, and the broader ASEAN region.