KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Before a solar project produces its first watt, there is work to be won. Someone must supply the equipment, design the systems, build the infrastructure and connect it to the grid. Once it starts operating, someone must keep it running.
For Malaysian businesses, these are openings into the country’s renewable energy supply chain. Securing a place means proving they have the capabilities to deliver.
Malaysia is targeting a 70% renewable energy share of electricity-generation capacity by 2050. Behind that ambition lies demand for components, engineering, construction, battery storage and technical services.
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) wants domestic companies to capture more of that demand, turning the energy transition into a source of contracts, skills and stronger local businesses.
According to the agency, it approved close to RM10 billion in renewable energy investments between 2023 and 2025, spanning solar, hydropower and bioenergy.
In his prepared address for the inaugural MIDA Supply Chain Programme @ IGEM 2026, CEO Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim said green investment had reached RM45.8 billion “so far this year”, including RM12.5 billion in renewable energy.
His address did not specify the reporting cut-off or investment category for those figures. His wider message, however, was clear: the investments should leave a lasting mark on the domestic economy.
“For MIDA, the task is to look beyond the amount of capital committed to a project. We ask what that project leaves behind in Malaysia,” he said in the prepared address.
Held in conjunction with the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the programme connects TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd and TNB Renewables Sdn Bhd with Malaysian businesses seeking opportunities in the sector.
For suppliers, it offers a chance to understand what major project owners need, where the procurement opportunities lie and what standards they must meet.
Five companies show where the work is
MIDA has identified five Malaysian companies that it says have already secured projects from anchor companies in the renewable energy sector.
They are Alliance MEP Sdn Bhd, Reactive Energy Sdn Bhd, Deltaspec (M) Sdn Bhd, P.E.S.B. Engineering Sdn Bhd and SAA Engineering & Marine Sdn Bhd.
Selected as the programme’s inaugural Renewable Energy Local Champions, they were assessed on their specialised technical capabilities, experience and relevance to the supply chain.
According to MIDA, their capabilities collectively span engineering consultancy, high-voltage interconnection, battery energy storage, operations and maintenance, and specialised underwater engineering for renewable energy infrastructure.
The range reveals how much work sits behind a power project. It takes expertise to design the systems, connect them, maintain them and support the infrastructure on which they depend.
For companies considering a move into renewable energy, these areas offer a clearer picture of where they could fit. They also show why technical capability matters as much as access to a prospective customer.
MIDA deputy CEO (Investment Development) Zuaida Abdullah made that challenge clear in her prepared opening remarks: can Malaysian businesses meet major project owners’ technical and commercial standards, build capabilities as the market evolves and eventually compete beyond domestic borders?
MIDA wants Malaysian firms to capture renewable energy supply-chain opportunities by strengthening technical capabilities, developing skilled talent and meeting major project owners’ requirements for contracts, says MIDA deputy CEO (Investment Development) Zuaida Abdullah.
Solar and storage widen the opening
One concrete opportunity is the sixth round of the Large Scale Solar programme, or LSS6.
The Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (PETRA) has announced 2,650MW of solar capacity, comprising 2,500MW paired with 1,250MW of battery energy storage systems (BESS), plus a separate 150MW solar-only allocation for Bumiputera companies.
Bidders using domestically produced renewable energy products, including solar photovoltaic modules, will receive preference.
That procurement preference gives Malaysian manufacturers an opening. The inclusion of storage also broadens the equipment and expertise required.
MIDA identifies potential demand across components and materials, engineering, technical and construction services, manufacturing, logistics, digital solutions, and operations and maintenance.
The opportunities run through the project lifecycle. Equipment must be procured, systems installed and connections completed. After commissioning, the infrastructure needs servicing.
For a prospective supplier, the question is practical: which part of that work can the company deliver, and what must it develop before it can compete?
Getting through the supplier assessment
MIDA’s programme materials indicate that about 25 Malaysian manufacturing and services companies were expected to participate in curated one-to-one business meetings with the two TNB entities.
The meetings are intended to give suppliers direct access to discussions about project needs and commercial opportunities.
The next step is meeting the requirements those discussions reveal.
MIDA combines business matching with investment facilitation and capability development. Through #InvestLokal and the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, it connects domestic businesses with anchor companies.
TRACK supports approved projects through implementation, while the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre brings federal and state agencies together to address investor issues.
The agency says it has applied its matching approach in other sectors. At Data Centre Nexus 2026, 14 operators were matched with more than 50 Malaysian vendors.
The renewable energy programme extends that approach to another industry with expanding supply-chain needs.
Zuaida’s prepared remarks emphasised the longer-term objective: Malaysian companies that can meet international standards, adopt suitable technologies and progressively take on more sophisticated roles.
For businesses seeking to grow with the sector, that means investing in their own capabilities alongside pursuing the next project.
The people needed to deliver
Companies also need a workforce equipped to execute the work they secure.
In his prepared address, Sikh Shamsul said PETRA projected an immediate need for 62,000 certified skilled workers. He also pointed to the National Energy Transition Roadmap’s ambition to create up to 310,000 green jobs by 2050.
Those figures bring the workforce challenge into focus. Suppliers need people with the technical skills to turn project requirements into completed work.
MIDA is working with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation and ministry partners to align technical and vocational education and training (TVET) with industry requirements.
Through its PRIME Talent Hub partnership with MARA, eight anchor companies have identified the skills their industries need, helping training respond more closely to demand.
Within renewable energy, Sikh Shamsul cited TNB’s PV 3.0 programme for Bumiputera vendors, which supports technical skills development through TNB training centres and TVET programmes.
For suppliers, such development supports the ability to take on more demanding assignments and build a record that can help them compete for subsequent projects.
Where the opportunity becomes business
Sikh Shamsul’s prepared address set out the test for what follows the programme.
“The success of today will be measured by what happens beyond this room. Will the discussions lead to technical engagements? Will Malaysian companies pass supplier assessments? Will new partnerships emerge?”
Those are the steps through which an investment pipeline can become business for Malaysian suppliers.
The country’s renewable energy ambitions establish the scale and direction. Local companies must now establish where they fit, demonstrate what they can do and earn their place in the supply chain.
The next milestone is a project they can win and deliver.
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Source: EdgeProp.my
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