An Emarati man stands on a balcony overlooking the Shams 1, Concentrated Solar power (CSP) plant, in al-Gharibiyah district on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. TNBES is especially interested in working closely with government-linked companies in the Middle East to penetrate the renewable energy market, ideally via joint-ventures or special purpose vehicles.
By Arno Maierbrugger/Gulf Times Correspondent /Manila
Malaysia-based TNB Energy Services (TNBES), a subsidiary of Malaysia’s energy giant Tenaga Nasional Berhad and specialised on renewable energy projects, is looking for partnerships in the Middle East to pursue sustainable energy ventures, the company’s managing director Mohd Azhar Abdul Rahman said.
He added that TNBES is especially interested in working closely with government-linked companies in the Middle East to penetrate the renewable energy market, ideally via joint-ventures or special purpose vehicles. The countries in the region would be an “ideal location” for green energy ventures such as solar power plants due to the abundance of sunshine there, Rahman argued.
TNBES, the green energy arm of Malaysia’s largest power supplier which is one of the blue chips at the Bursa Malaysia, says it has acquired a lot of know-how in the renewable energy industry through its partnership with US industry group General Electric (GE), especially with GE Research. The company is focused on green energy and energy efficiency projects based on solar power technology, wind energy, hydro power and biomass, as well as hybrid systems. It also designs and develops renewable energy power plants as well as grids for commercial and residential power supply.
The strategy of TNBES to expand into the Middle East comes as GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries are embarking on energy-saving projects, are pushing forward with investment in renewables and are looking to develop alternative energy sources. For example, Qatar has launched a 200MW solar power initiative to supply renewable power for desalinations plant in the country. More projects are to follow as Qatar has the ambition to produce 1,800MW of clean power by 2020, which would translate into savings of around 1.5mn barrels of crude oil annually. One major initiative is that Qatar as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will use solar technology at all stadiums and training facilities throughout the country. The UAE, in turn, also has kicked off a sizeable number of renewable energy projects - at a total investment value of around $1bn - which include large solar power initiatives. Overall, the total value of renewable energy projects in the GCC is currently around $4.5bn, most of it for solar power.
TNBES has a solid track record in green power in Southeast Asia, where it works together with GE in implementing renewable energy projects as well as with Tenaga Nasional in rural electrification programmes based on green energy. It has also built two large solar hybrid projects for the Malaysian government and is active in energy audits and energy consulting.
An expansion drive across Southeast Asia starting in 2015, including smart partnerships and strategic alliances, would add to the company’s expertise and let it benefit from a know-how exchange, Rahman said. Apart from renewable energy generation, TNBES offers energy consulting and energy-saving equipment which, for example in an industrial building or in a factory would save up to 35% in energy for pumps, 25% for chillers, 20% for cooling towers and 60% for the lighting system, the company claims.
