en.Wedoany.com Reported - Malaysian multinational utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has commissioned a battery energy storage project named Santong in the Dungun district of Terengganu, with an installed capacity of 100MW/400MWh.
Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Amar Fadillah Yusof, visited the Santong battery energy storage system.
The company, which provides electricity services to over 11 million customers in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and the Federal Territory of Labuan, held a commissioning ceremony for the project on May 18. The Santong battery energy storage system is equipped with grid-forming inverters, with the primary goal of bolstering the stability of electricity supply on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and supporting the implementation of Malaysia's National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR). The NETR targets increasing the share of renewable energy generation to 70% by 2050, which requires an additional 14GW of renewable energy generation facilities.
The energy storage system has been connected to the 132/33kV Santong substation, located approximately 360 kilometers northeast of Kuala Lumpur. TNB CEO Shamsulbin Ahmad stated that the Santong system, utilizing liquid cooling technology, can ensure grid operational stability through rapid response. Its applications will include supporting peak load management and leveraging grid-forming capabilities to facilitate greater integration of solar power generation. Ahmad further explained that the system can balance real-time fluctuations in electricity supply and demand, especially during peak usage or power interruptions, thereby alleviating grid stress and enhancing supply reliability.
TNB owns 3.3GW of generation facilities in Peninsular Malaysia (including 2.5GW of large hydro), and is also the transmission and distribution operator for the three aforementioned regions. Based on current consumption patterns, the Santong energy storage system can meet the electricity needs of approximately 40,000 households on the east coast. Internationally, TNB has a presence in eight other countries, including a 1.3GW renewable energy asset portfolio held in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Turkey.
Regarding the label of "Malaysia's first grid-connected battery energy storage system," TNB described the Santong project as the first of its kind in its announcement, but the industry generally believes this refers to the first project connected to the main grid of Peninsular Malaysia. The 100MW/400MWh Lahad Datu battery energy storage system, commissioned in Sabah state on the island of Borneo at the end of 2025, officially began operations last December, becoming the largest grid-connected battery energy storage system in Southeast Asia at the time (measured by energy storage capacity).
Malaysia's first competitive bidding scheme, the "Malaysia Battery Energy Storage System Programme" (MyBeST), was launched in November 2024, planning to tender four grid-connected energy storage projects, each sized at 100MW/400MWh, totaling 400MW/1,600MWh, expected to be operational by 2027. The Energy Commission of Malaysia, Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST), had shortlisted candidates from 28 bidders by the end of 2025, from which four final winners will be selected.
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