PETRA Deputy Minister to Open CETA 2026 as Malaysia Hosts ASEAN’s Energy Transition Decision-Makers in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 November 2026 — Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, YB Dato’ Sri Abdul Rahman bin Haji Mohamad, will officiate Clean Energy Transition Asia (CETA) 2026, the region’s summit and exhibition for clean energy deal-making, at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur on 4–5 November 2026. More than 3,500 attendees are expected over two days.

The Deputy Minister will deliver the guest-of-honour keynote, Sovereignty, Security and Scale: Malaysia’s Energy Transition Mandate, setting out the national agenda under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) before officially opening the show on the afternoon of 4 November.

He is joined by Minister of Economy YB Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah bin Haji Mohd Nasir, who will outline on Day 2 how the 13th Malaysia Plan will mobilise capital for the transition, and Sarawak’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, YB Datuk Dr. Hazland bin Haji Abang Hipni, who will set out on Day 1 Sarawak’s ambition to become “the Battery of ASEAN”.

CETA 2026 arrives as Malaysia’s grid becomes the country’s biggest investment opportunity. With data centres, semiconductors and electrification driving a new wave of power demand, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), CETA’s Foundation Partner, is building the backbone that will carry it. The programme is built around one question: how does ASEAN turn energy commitments into financed, connected projects?

What to watch at CETA 2026

• TNB opens up a RM43 billion grid opportunity. TNB President and CEO Dato’ Sri Ir. Ts. Shamsul bin Ahmad will present Grid-First, one of the largest grid modernisation programmes in Malaysia’s history, under Regulatory Period 4. He will show where it creates room for developers, technology providers and large energy buyers to partner with TNB, including:

o targeted transmission upgrades in high-growth corridors

o the Green Lane Pathway, which has cut data centre connection times from 36 months to as little as 12

• TNB across the programme. TNB leaders also speak on grid development and resilience, cross-border partnerships and the ASEAN Power Grid, and the future grid of distributed energy, storage and digital networks.

• Powering the data centre decade. Data centres could account for nearly a third of Peninsular Malaysia’s electricity demand by 2035. DCIA Chairman Datuk Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, STT GDC, Princeton Digital Group, MDEC and JLL will discuss how operators, the grid and clean power grow together.

• Gas and renewables. Gas and LNG still supply more than 40% of ASEAN’s power. Gas Malaysia Berhad CEO Azli Mohamed and PETRA will discuss how the two are sequenced, while PETRONAS sets out how it is embedding decarbonisation across its value chain.

• Malaysia’s incumbents transform. Malakoff Group CEO Syahrunizam Samsudin on how an established power producer rebuilds for a cleaner, firmer grid.

• Who pays for it. DBS, OCBC, Mizuho, the European Investment Bank, IFC and Japan’s GX Acceleration Agency on financing the ASEAN Power Grid, blended capital and solar-plus-storage projects.

• Semiconductors go green. SanDisk and AT&S Malaysia, with SEMI, on clean energy procurement across the chip supply chain.

• The global view. The International Energy Agency and the ASEAN Centre for Energy open Day 1 on what it will take for ASEAN to meet its 2030 goals, with outlooks from BloombergNEF and Rystad Energy.

On the exhibition floor

Running alongside the summit, the CETA 2026 exhibition is free for trade visitors who register online. Exhibitors cover CETA’s six Transition Pillars: clean energy, clean tech, clean power, carbon, hydrogen and green infrastructure. Highlights include:

• TNB and SEDA Malaysia. Foundation Partner TNB exhibits at Booth D01, and Knowledge Partner SEDA Malaysia at Booth P09.

• Solar, storage and power on show. Gold sponsors Fox-ESS and Solarvest, Silver sponsors Atmoce, SAJ Electric, Sigenergy and SolaX Power, and Bronze sponsors Aiko Solar and Malakoff present their solutions on the floor.

• Innovation Stage. Free 20-minute solution sessions on both days, across four streams: solar; storage, grid and RE integration; hydrogen, carbon and ESG; and AI and technology.

• Business meetings. Meeting pods for scheduled business-to-business meetings, alongside technology demonstrations and project showcases.

“ASEAN’s energy transition has moved from ambition to execution,” said Mel Shah, Chief Executive Officer of The C0_Lab, organiser of CETA. “The capital is available, the technology is proven, and Malaysia is investing in the grid at a scale we have not seen before. CETA puts ministers, TNB, data centre operators, banks and buyers on one floor for two days, so that investment turns into partnerships and projects.”

“For Malaysia, the stakes are national,” he added. “Data centre and semiconductor investment depends on clean, reliable and competitively priced power. That is the conversation PETRA, TNB, PETRONAS and SEDA are leading at CETA, and it is one every Malaysian business should be following.”

CETA 2026 is supported by PETRA, the Ministry of Economy and Sarawak’s MEESty, with Tenaga Nasional Berhad as Foundation Partner, SEDA Malaysia as Knowledge Partner, and MIDA, MRANTI and DCIA as Strategic Industry Partners. It is also supported by MyCEB and Visit Malaysia 2026. 

Media invitation

Accredited media are invited to cover both days of CETA 2026 on site. A media centre, interviews with speakers and photo opportunities at the Opening Ceremony (4 November, 14:55) will be available. To register, contact the media team below by 18:00, Tuesday 3 November 2026.

Event Clean Energy Transition Asia (CETA) 2026 Summit and Exhibition

Dates Wednesday 4 November 2026, 09:00–18:00; Thursday 5 November 2026, 09:00–17:00

Venue Hall 5, Level 2, MITEC, Kuala Lumpur

Opening Ceremony 4 November, 14:40 keynote by the PETRA Deputy Minister, ceremony 14:55

Visitor registration Free for trade visitors: register online

Website www.ceta.asia