Malaysia sees surge in investments for EV sector

Market: Battery materials, Electricity
05/06/23

Malaysia is seeing a spate of investments into its electric vehicle (EV) industry, with the latest being Japanese firm NHK Spring's decision to expand its metal substrate production in Malaysia following Malaysia's latest trade mission to Japan.

NHK Spring produces metal-based printing wiring boards — a metal substrate essential to the electrification of automobiles — in Malaysia's state of Negeri Sembilan. The construction of a new plant and facilities is expected to be completed by December, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority's (MIDA) announcement on 2 June, although the capacity was undisclosed.

Prior to the Japan trade mission, Malaysia's trade missions to South Korea and China in March and April, respectively, similarly generated interest in foreign direct investment across different sectors.

EVE Energy Malaysia, a subsidiary of major Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer EVE Energy, on 12 May signed an initial agreement with Malaysian firm Pemaju Kelang Lama to invest $422.3mn in building a cylindrical lithium-ion battery factory in Malaysia's state of Kedah. The factory will spearhead the development of an "International Cylindrical Battery Industrial Park", with the main focus on cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for power tools and two-wheeler EVs. Its production capacity was not disclosed.

South Korean battery and semiconductor materials producer SKC is exploring the possibility of making additional investments in the EV industry in Malaysia. "Malaysia is a strategic location for rapid global expansion of EV investments as it has started to develop the necessary infrastructure and materials to support the expansion of EV battery production," said chief executive of the company's SK Nexilis unit, Jae Hong Yi.

Lotte EM Malaysia, a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Lotte, is investing around 2.3bn ringgit ($503mn) to introduce electro-deposited copper foil into lithium-ion batteries, according to MIDA's announcement on 29 May.

The acceleration in EV and EV-related investments throughout Asia has brought to light the potential the region boasts, and Malaysia is emerging as a key manufacturing and consumption market.

"EVs are the intuitive solution for low-carbon mobility and zero-emission vehicles, and the nascent global EV industry provides significant room for growth, particularly in ASEAN, which has the potential to be both a manufacturing hub and market for EVs," said the country's minister of investment, trade and industry, Zafrul Abdul Aziz during Malaysia's first national level EV conference held on 14 February.

"[The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change] NRECC has taken into account the importance of balancing energy demand and reducing carbon emissions, and this includes the development of EVs and its ecosystems in Malaysia," said NRECC minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

"The country aims to install 10,000 EV charging points by 2025 through the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint, with up to 900 charging points at present. NRECC is also committed to increasing electricity generation from renewable energy sources through the Electricity Supply Generation Development Plan 2021-2039 while strengthening the grid and developing the EV ecosystem," he added.

MIDA approved 54 EV and EV-related projects totalling 22bn ringgit from 2018 to 2022, which includes EV assembling, manufacturing of EV parts and components as well as its charging components.

By Joseph Ho

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News

12/05/25

Australian PM reaffirms climate priority in new cabinet

Sydney, 12 May (Argus) — Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has reaffirmed renewable energy commitments with cabinet picks after the Labor party's election victory on 3 May. Chris Bowen, who led key changes to the safeguard mechanism , the capacity investment scheme (CIS) and fuel efficiency standards for new passenger and light commercial vehicles, remains minister for climate change and energy. Madeleine King, the minister for resources and northern Australia, retains her cabinet position, while Tanya Plibersek, previously the minister for environment, is now the minister for social services and is replaced by Murray Watt, formerly the minister for workplace relations. In the previous term, Plibersek failed to establish an environment protection authority and reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which was an election promise in 2022, after intervention from Western Australian state minister Roger Cook. Environmental lobby group the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has welcomed Watt, who was also the minister for agriculture for two years to 2024, into his new role. "Having a former agriculture minister in environment increases the opportunities for co-operation on the shared challenges facing nature protection and sustainable agriculture," the ACF said. The ACF also welcomed Chris Bowen in returning to his role as environment minister for his "clear mandate" to continue the energy transition. Josh Wilson remains assistant minister for climate change and energy. Participants in the renewable energy carbon credit industry are urging the new Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to speed up the creation of new Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) methods in the new government term. They are also seeking greater transparency in ACCU data base , which requires legislative change. And renewable energy companies and lobby groups will be closely following a review of Australia's National Electricity Market wholesale market settings , which will need to be changed following the conclusion of the CIS tenders in 2027 and as Australia transitions to more renewables from its ageing coal-fired plants. By Grace Dudley Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Find out more

News

Minister eyes German energy transition 'reality check'

09/05/25

News

09/05/25

Minister eyes German energy transition 'reality check'

London, 9 May (Argus) — Germany's energy transition needs a "reality check", the country's new energy minister Katherina Reiche has said, stating that the government will prioritise security of power supply over climate protection. The government must strike the right balance between climate protection, security of supply and costs, Reiche said at the Ludwig Erhard Summit earlier today, arguing that the focus in recent years has been disproportionately on the former. The new government will put security of supply "first", while also focusing on keeping system costs — such as redispatch and grid expansion costs, which previous governments "underestimated" — as low as possible. The government is aiming to "quickly" hold tenders for the construction of "at least" 20GW of new gas-fired capacity, Reiche said, citing the recent blackout in the Iberian peninsula as evidence that Germany cannot become complacent over its power supply. While she acknowledged that the reasons for the blackout are not yet fully determined, she said that a lack of inertia in the power system is likely to have contributed to it, and that more flexible gas-fired plants "could have helped" Spain avoid the blackout. She called for Germany to agree "long-term delivery contracts" for natural gas, to ensure security of supply in the coming years. And Reiche emphasised the importance of "technology openness", particularly when it comes to Germany reaching its goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045. There may be new technologies that are yet to be invented or fully harnessed that could aid the country in fulfilling its goal, she noted. Hydrogen has the potential to play a role in a "mix" of other technologies in the energy transition, she said, but the expectations for it have become too high for a product that is "not even on the market". Reiche also called for more patience with regard to electrification in Germany, stating that "the transformation of an entire economy [to become climate friendly] in a linear, year-on-year path is not feasible". And the minister reiterated previous CDU/CSU-SPD coalition pledges to reduce the electricity tax and to introduce an industry power price. CDU party member Reiche became the new energy minister on Tuesday, when CDU leader Friedrich Merz was voted in as chancellor, replacing the SPD's Olaf Scholz. By John Horstmann Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Q&A: US' ACE Green bets on LFP batteries

09/05/25

News

09/05/25

Q&A: US' ACE Green bets on LFP batteries

Singapore, 9 May (Argus) — US-based battery recycler ACE Green Recycling has been focusing on the US market, particularly its upcoming Texas recycling site, and plans to run its lead-acid and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery recycling operations alongside each other in Texas. Argus spoke with ACE Green Recycling's vice-president of investments and strategy, Aaron Wee, about their Texas site, battery recycling gate fees in Europe and the black mass market. The interview is split into two parts and part two's edited highlights follow: What's your view on the US market? The US market for lead is [one of] the most attractive market in the world. It's where you can find possibly some of the cheapest scrap batteries for lead, and also get some of the highest premiums on refined and alloyed lead. In terms of lithium, obviously the US is either the second- or the third-largest economy for [electric vehicles] and lithium batteries in general. Nowadays, with the improvements in LFP battery technology, the range and energy density problems of the past are now not really an issue. We sort of predicted the shift towards LFP quite some time ago. Back when the recyclers were concerned about nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) because we're going to get nickel, we're going to get cobalt. That was a relatively easy win for a lot of recyclers. But for us, LFP was always going to be the battery of the future. In fact, in our Texas project, we've already [begun the process of acquiring] the land and the facilities to combine both our battery recycling technology stacks and to co-locate them in a single location. But lead will start first because lead is going to make money tomorrow. LFP might take a little bit of time before feedstock actually comes in. What does ACE think of gate fees, especially in Europe? Does it distort the long-term consideration when setting up battery recycling operations? From a commercial point of view, I think depending on the battery type, that would be €500-800/t of batteries for gate fees in Europe. This may or may not hold over the next couple of years as more recycling capabilities are deployed in Europe. We won't say no to just getting money to recycle them. But our ultimate goal is not to rely on gate fees as a commercial strategy. Moving forward, I don't think any company can rely on gate fees as a strategy. It just won't be tenable. Eventually, somebody's going to be able to do it cheaper and better than you. And if you rely on gate fees, that's the end game right there. Gate fees are usually correlated with the price of lithium. [If] the price of lithium goes up, then recyclers won't [need to] rely on [gate fees]. Chances are we're going to be looking at maybe $12,000/t of lithium carbonate, [or] maybe $11,000 by the end of this year. What does ACE feel about the current pricing mechanism of black mass, battery scrap or even lithium? The correlation between lithium prices and black mass is very strong. But black mass as a commodity is a little bit trickier to export to China because of the regulations. Once they accept black mass [imports], especially LFP black mass, that will have a significant change. There will also perhaps be a fall in prices in the rest of the world because now they can sell to China, not just internally in their own domestic markets. Depending on how trade barriers may or may not come up over the next couple of months, we should see a shift in how black mass is priced. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Australian firms flag coal phase-out timeline concerns

09/05/25

News

09/05/25

Australian firms flag coal phase-out timeline concerns

Sydney, 9 May (Argus) — Energy utilities raised concerns that Australia's coal-fired power generation phase-out might be running on an unrealistic timeline, according to submissions to the National Electricity Market (NEM) review consultation process. Utilities AGL Energy, Alinta Energy, Delta Energy, Energy Australia, Origin Energy and Stanwell — which operate 10 of the 20 coal-fired power plants in Australia (see table) — submitted separate recommendations to the consultation launched late last year looking at wholesale market settings. This came after the conclusion of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tenders in 2027, and as Australia transitions to more renewables from its aging coal-fired plants. The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) forecast the country will exit all coal-fired generation by 2038 in its Integrated System Plan (ISP) published in 2024. But Delta Energy predicts that this timeline will not be met, and views ISP's priority as emissions reduction targets rather than a realistic timeline. Insufficient capacity to replace the coal plants was a common issue flagged by these companies, with AGL saying this is partly because of uncertainty in the market leading to less investments. The utility plans to close all its coal plants by the end of June 2035. AGL was Australia's largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the 2024 financial year, according to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), followed by Stanwell, Energy Australia and Origin Energy. The transition could be supported using flexible dispatchable resources, according to Origin Energy. The coal phase-out means more variable renewable energy (VRE) is required, but VRE output will not necessarily match demand. "The NEM review must also consider the actions to facilitate the planned retirement of coal-fired power stations from the energy system, which will still be occurring in the NEM beyond the CIS," Stanwell warned. "The urgency of developing solutions cannot be overstated, as any indecision now would result in increased government intervention later, and a disorderly and costly NEM beyond the CIS." Gas-fired generation A few firms view gas-powered generation as critical in the transition away from thermal coal and in maintaining system reliability. It will provide back-up in times of renewable droughts, said Stanwell and AGL, and should be noted in discussions of the forward strategy. But Alinta Energy is cautious of the costs of gas-fired power plants, believing them to be the least costly for customers but not economically viable because of their exposure to global gas market prices. Alinta's suggestion is to reduce the market's dependence on high-cost facilities including gas-fired facilities. Mixed views on capacity market Some companies mentioned a capacity mechanism as a solution. Coal-fired facilities should be allowed to continue until they can be replaced, said Alinta Energy, and gas power plants are necessary. Energy Australia and Delta are calling for the NEM to stay technologically neutral in this process, keeping thermal coal exits in mind. A capacity market needs to be sustainable without government subsidies, Alinta Energy said, and exit strategies for government intervention should be clear from the beginning. But capacity markets can lead to higher costs for customers, according to AGL, because of potential over-procured capacity. "If a capacity mechanism was implemented, it would be important to consider the impact of any capacity incentive on the operation of the NEM and the appropriate level of the market price settings — a balance that may be difficult to strike," AGL noted. The expert independent panel leading the review will continue carrying out consultation, and is expected to make final recommendations to energy and climate ministers in late 2025. By Susannah Cornford Australia coal-fired power plant closures in NEM Plant Capacity ( MW ) Owner Closure date State Emissions CER 2023/24 year Scope 1 & 2 of CO2e Eraring 2,880.0 Origin 2027 NSW 13,550,220.0 Yallourn 1,480.0 Energy australia 2029 Vic 10,502,080.0 Callide B 700.0 CS Energy 2029 Qld 4,028,161.0 Total by 2030 5,060.0 28,080,461.0 Coal plant closures in NEM after 2030 Bayswater 2,640.0 AGL 2030-33 NSW 13,712,719.0 Vales Point 1,320.0 Delta 2033 NSW 7,111,963.0 Stanwell 1,460.0 stanwell 2035 Qld 6,982,204.0 Tarong 1,843.0 Stanwell 2035 Qld 10,936,021.0 Kogan 740.0 CS Energy 2035 Qld 4,522,472.0 Callide C 825.0 CS Energy 2035 Qld 688,038.0 Loy Yang A 2,210.0 AGL 2035 Vic 18,723,707.0 Subtotal 11,038.0 62,677,124.0 Total by 2030 16,098.0 90,757,585.0 — CER Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Mitsubishi joins Philippine coal plant phaseout project

09/05/25

News

09/05/25

Mitsubishi joins Philippine coal plant phaseout project

Osaka, 9 May (Argus) — Japanese trading house Mitsubishi has agreed to join a project to phase out a coal-fired power plant in the Philippines, aiming to generate carbon credits through the Transition Credits mechanism along with Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). Mitsubishi and and its Hong Kong-based subsidiary Diamond Generating Asia (DGA) has agreed to join Philippine energy firm Acen, GenZero — a subsidy of Singapore state-owned investment firm Temasek — and Singapore conglomerate Keppel to phase out the 246MW South Luzon coal-fired plant in Batangas, the Philippines, and replace it with a clean power facility. The initial deal for this project was signed by Acen, GenZero and Keppel in August 2024. Acen is now seeking to decommission the coal-fired plant by 2030, instead of the previous target of 2040. It is still unclear what types of clean power sources will then be deployed. But renewables such as solar or onshore wind, alongside storage batteries, could be possible, a Mitsubishi spokesperson told Argus . The partners aim to leverage Transition Credits (TCs) for the early retirement of the plant. TCs are high-integrity carbon credits generated from the emissions reduced through retiring a coal-fired plant early and replacing this with clean energy. The South Luzon project is expected to be one of the first converted coal-fired plants in the world to generate TCs. The project is expected to generate carbon credits equivalent to 19mn t of CO2 emissions reduction over 10 years, the Mitsubishi spokesperson told Argus . Mitsubishi plans to include this project in the JCM mechanism, as the Philippines has been Japan's JCM partner country since January 2017. The company is already marketing the carbon credits in Japan, assuming the credits will be verified under the JCM, while also hoping to sell them in Singapore and the Philippines. Verified carbon reductions or removals under the JCM can be quantified on an international basis. Some of the JCM credits issued from such mitigation efforts will be used to achieve Japan's nationally determined contributions (NDCs), while ensuring double counting is avoided on the basis of corresponding adjustments between countries and consistency with the guidance on co-operative approaches referred to in Article 6.2 of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. JCM credits could be also traded under the Japan's green transformation emission trading system (GX-ETS), which will be officially launched in autumn of 2027 . The GX-ETS adopts the cap-and-trade programme, with the government allocating free allowances for each eligible entity every year. Japan is still highly dependent on coal-fired generation, although Tokyo has pledged to phase out inefficient coal-fed plants by 2030. Coal-fired output accounted for 32pc of the country's total power generation in 2024, according to data from the trade and industry ministry. When asked by Argus where there is the potential for the introduction of the Transition Credits mechanism in Japan, the spokesperson said Mitsubishi has not ruled out the possibility, but added there have been no discussions on this for now. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more