Malaysia and Singapore set up group to coordinate renewable energy certificates
The initiative comes under a renewed energy cooperation agreement between the two countries’ regulators.
Malaysia’s Energy Commission and Singapore’s Energy Market Authority have set up a joint working group to bring their renewable energy certificate tracking and accounting approaches into alignment.
The initiative falls under a renewed memorandum of understanding signed by the regulators alongside Singapore International Energy Week 2026, aimed at deepening cooperation on energy.
Renewable energy certificates, or RECs, are tradable credits carrying the environmental attribute associated with one megawatt-hour of electricity produced from eligible renewable sources. They provide proof of renewable electricity consumption by the holder. Malaysian RECs cannot be sold abroad.
Energy Commission chief executive officer Siti Safinah Salleh said regulatory cooperation was essential for electricity supply security and reliability, cross-border power trading and the transition towards sustainable energy.
Energy Market Authority chief executive Puah Kok Keong said a clearer REC framework throughout Southeast Asia would help encourage renewable energy investment and trading.
The countries are also examining further cross-border renewable electricity sales, including Singapore importing Malaysian solar power and Vietnamese offshore wind power. Singapore recently gave Sembcorp Utilities conditional approval for renewable electricity imports of 1.3 gigawatts from Malaysia and via the country.
Malaysia has installed renewable generation capacity of over eight gigawatts, encompassing solar, hydro and other alternative sources.
