Malaysia’s state utility signs deal to transmit energy from Laos to S’pore

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s state-run utility firm has signed a two-year energy agreement to transmit electricity from Laos to Singapore, reviving a South-east Asian multilateral power trade deal that had stalled since 2024.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in a bourse filing on Jan 14 said the Energy Wheeling Agreement Phase 2, part of a power integration project involving Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, will allow up to 100MW of generation capacity in Laos to supply power to Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia, using existing transmission links.

The first phase of the project was signed in 2022 with a two-year validity period that ended on June 22, 2024.

Malaysia’s energy minister in October 2025 said the delay in renewing the deal was due to political changes in Thailand.

Under an agreement signed on Jan 14, state utility Electricite Du Laos will pay TNB for the services to transmit energy generated in Laos to Singapore.

The deal is part of the second phase of the

Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project

, which is a precursor to a broader ASEAN Power Grid initiative aiming to connect member states and tackle the region’s growing reliance on fossil fuels. REUTERS