CRESS grid access charge revised to 18 sen/kWh, sources say
An additional four sen/kWh charge applies until end-2027 and is subject to a Regulatory Period review, according to briefing slides.
The government has effectively set the grid access charge under the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS) at 18 sen/kWh, sources told The Edge. The change comes less than a month after a reduction to 14 sen/kWh was announced.
Sources said the revised rate was presented at a briefing jointly led by the Energy Commission and the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra). Slides seen by The Edge showed an additional charge of four sen/kWh until end-2027, subject to a Regulatory Period (RP) review. Such reviews take place every subsequent three years.
Petra’s September CRESS Acceleration Package had lowered the firm-supply SAC from 20 sen/kWh to 14 sen/kWh. One aim was to improve project bankability for developments able to begin commercial operation by end-2028.
CRESS enables renewable energy developers to supply industrial customers directly. Customers pay developers for the electricity, with part of the payment channelled to Tenaga Nasional Bhd as the system access charge (SAC) for use of its national grid.
An industry participant told The Edge that updated CRESS guidelines had not followed Petra’s September announcement, leaving information incomplete and making decisions premature at that stage.
