What it Takes for M40s to Go Solar`
As higher electricity bills make solar more attractive, loans and rent-to-own schemes help middle-class families overcome ownership cost barriers.
Published: 24 August, 2026
Tag Archives: energy
Rising Flaring at Bintulu Casts Shadow over Malaysia’s LNG Plans
Rising Flaring at Bintulu Casts Shadow over Malaysia’s LNG Plans
Petronas is pushing ahead with a global expansion strategy despite gas supply shocks caused by the war on Iran, as well as impacts on the climate and community health.
Writer: Wil Crisp | Editor: SL Wong
Data visualisation: Irma Garnesia and Louis Lugas
A collaboration between Macaranga Media and Point Source
Published: 23 April, 2026
Photo: In the last 4 years, emissions from Malaysia’s largest LNG plant have been increasing.
Can Malaysia’s AI data centres go green?
A wave of AI server farms is turning Malaysia into Southeast Asia’s digital epicentre, but their high energy use could derail the country’s climate goals, writes Genevieve Mallet, Dialogue Earth.
DATA CENTRES are springing up across Southeast Asia as China and the US vie for Artifical Intelligence (AI) supremacy. Tech giants – from ByteDance and Alibaba to Google and Microsoft – are setting their sights on Johor, Malaysia’s manufacturing hub just across the strait from Singapore. A rich agricultural state, Johor is now also home to sprawling data centre parks.
Since 2023, Malaysia has announced RM99 billion in data centre investments, much of it involving AI facilities, with a further RM149 billion in the near future. With cheap electricity, labour and ample land, Malaysia has proven to be a compelling alternative to its land-constrained neighbour and is set to become the fastest-growing data-centre hotspot in Southeast Asia.
(Feature image: Workers at a data centre under construction in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor | Image © Vincent Thian / Associated Press / Alamy)
Empangan di Negeri Perak Ancam Keramat Batu dan Perkuburan Moyang
Beberapa siri empangan kecil berikutan peralihan hijau negeri Perak cetuskan bantahan komuniti Orang Asli. Diterjemah oleh Shazni Bhai.
PERJALANAN pacuan empat roda melambung-lambung sepanjang laluan berliku mendaki Gunung Korbu di negeri Perak. Empat puluh minit ke pedalaman terdapat binaan konkrit didirikan berketinggian 5 meter atau hampir 2 tingkat.
Binaan itu adalah sebuah empangan hidro elektrik mini, yang akan dikerah bagi menjana 7 megawatt (MW) tenaga boleh diperbaharui untuk grid kuasa elektrik.
Ini adalah salah satu empangan hidro elektrik mini yang akan dibina di seluruh negeri ini. Walau pun bertujuan untuk memenuhi komitmen tenaga boleh diperbaharui kerajaan, konflik dengan komuniti Orang Asli dilihat makin meningkat.
(Imej utama: Tenaga boleh diperbaharui dijana oleh empangan hidro mini di Sungai Korbu, namun untuk siapa dan apa korbannya? | Foto: Ashley Yeong)
Perak Dams Threaten Stone Spirits and Ancestral Graves
A series of small dams that is part of Perak’s green transition is making Orang Asli communities go up in arms.
IT IS A bumpy truck ride along the winding path up Gunung Korbu in Perak. Forty minutes in, a concrete structure stands 5 m, or nearly 2 floors, tall. This structure is a mini hydroelectric dam, tasked to generate 7 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy for the electricity grid.
This is one of the mini hydroelectric dams to be built throughout the state. While helping to meet the state’s renewable energy commitments, they appear to be in increasing conflict with Orang Asli communities.
(Feature photo: Renewable energy is generated by the Sungai Korbu mini hydro dam, but for whom and at what cost? | Image: Ashley Yeong)
Unlocking Rare Earth Riches in Malaysia
The world wants a lot more rare earths to power its green technology and meet climate goals. This offers lucrative opportunities for Malaysia to tap into its subterranean rare earth deposits of 16.1 billion tonnes. But first, the country wants to develop guidelines for a rare earth mining method said to be safer for the environment. Can Malaysia produce rare earths for the world’s green technology, and keep itself clean too?
(Image: A rare earth mining facility in Perak; satellite image taken in January 2022. | Image: Google Earth)
Where is the Green in GE15?
ON 19 NOVEMBER, Malaysians will vote for our next federal government – and state governments too, for some.
From declaring a climate emergency to stopping deforestation, different groups are demanding that political candidates and parties include environmental and climate commitments in their GE15 manifestos. Here’s an evolving list of the demands compiled by Macaranga.
To help you evaluate, we also include evaluations by groups and a list of the specifical environmental / climate promises in the manifestos of the main political coalitions in Peninsular Malaysa, Sarawak and Sabah. There are links to some commentary/analysis as well.
You can do more than just read. You can make your demands to the candidates, and you can monitor candidates’ positions on environmental issues.
At the bottom of this page, use the templates of letters to send to candidates. Also check out #UndiIklim, an attempt still underway to rank candidates in terms of climate and environmental issues and policies.
(Feature photo: SL Wong)
Coal Can Be Costly – Who’s Paying?
Coal Can Be Costly—Who's Paying?
Text and Photos: Nicole Fong
Editor: YH Law
Published: 22 December 2021
(Cover Photo: Pieces of coal litter the beach by a jetty that was used to transport coal in Port Dickson | Pic by Nicole Fong)
Malaysia favours coal as a cheap source of energy. But for the communities living near the power plants, coal exacts a high price. This is Part 2 of a series that examines coal-use. Read Part 1 here.
Rise of Coal in Malaysia
Malaysia’s dependence on coal stands in the way of the country’s ambition to tackle the climate crisis. This article looks at the numbers behind coal use in Malaysia.
MALAYSIA runs on coal. The black, solid remains of plants that died millions of years ago now make up 43% of our energy supply.
In 2000, coal contributed to only 7% of our energy mix, but our demand has risen steadily since.
(Photo: The coal-fired Kapar Power Plant in Selangor | Pic by Nicole Fong)