THE Dewan Rakyat today passed two bills in preparation for the reassignment of autonomous power in the supply of electricity to the Sabah government.

The bills are the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2022. 

Both were tabled for the second reading by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan before being passed by a majority voice vote.

Takiyuddin said the amendments to the Renewable Energy Act 2011 (Act 725) and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011 (Act 726) are in line with the government’s commitment to review the implementation of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement related to the autonomous rights and powers allocated under the Federal Constitution to Sabah and Sarawak.

The amendments include a new subsection that gives the minister the power to suspend wholly or any provision of the two acts in different parts of Malaysia.

Takiyuddin said legal provisions to enable the suspension of the application of Act 725 need to be prepared first so that the process of handing over power for the supply of electricity, including from the incentive tariff mechanism, can be implemented in an orderly manner without causing legal implications.

He also said like Act 725, Act 726 does not contain provisions that allow the application of this act to be suspended in any part of Malaysia.

“I understand that the Sabah government has established the Sabah State Energy Unit under the Chief Minister’s Department to carry out the tasks of planning and regulating the development of renewable energy if the process of handing over the power of electricity supply is carried out,” he said. – Bernama, October 3, 2022.