Shahrir Abdul Latiff on Steering Malaysia’s Energy Future

The company currently operates 12 power plants, serving as a pillar for Malaysian industries, hospitals, and public services. For Shahrir, the mandate is dual-natured: maintaining rigorous operational excellence today while architecting a greener energy portfolio for tomorrow. This involves a strategic pivot from coal-fired generation, with a goal to retire 50 percent of coal capacity by 2035 and achieve zero coal usage by 2050. To bridge this gap, the organization is transitioning toward combined cycle gas turbines that are hydrogen-ready, ensuring that reliability remains intact as the energy mix evolves.

Modernizing these vast assets requires a heavy reliance on digital infrastructure. TNB Genco has integrated artificial intelligence, digital twins, and predictive diagnostics to optimize maintenance and performance across both aging and newer facilities. By leveraging machine learning for anomaly detection, the firm aims to make data-driven decisions that prevent outages and increase efficiency. As demand surges—driven largely by the expansion of data centers—Shahrir views this modernization as essential to maintaining the firm's role as a steward of national economic development. The process of commissioning new capacity remains a long-term endeavor, often taking up to seven years, making the current push for technological innovation and cleaner fuel sources a prerequisite for future-proofing the country’s energy landscape.