KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31– The LNG Canada project represents a vital link in strengthening energy cooperation between Malaysia and Canada, with both countries urged to explore new areas of collaboration beyond liquefied natural gas (LNG).
At the Second Energy Security Forum Conference, organised by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) in Ottawa on Thursday, Malaysian High Commissioner to Canada Datuk Dr Shazelina Zainul Abidin said the project demonstrates how the two nations can work together to advance shared energy goals.
“Malaysia and Canada are already collaborators in the energy sector, but LNG Canada is only one aspect of the potential that can be developed between the two countries,” she said in a statement, noting opportunities in renewable and nuclear energy cooperation.
Shazelina also highlighted Malaysia’s National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which aims to raise the country’s renewable energy share to at least 70 per cent by 2050.
“Of course, it will not be an easy transition, but the Malaysian government has committed to achieving this target,” she told an audience comprising Canadian government officials and energy-sector stakeholders.
She further called on Canadian policymakers to facilitate investments in Canada, pointing out that LNG Canada stakeholders had held over 10,000 meetings with First Nations (Indigenous) before starting operations.
“This is something both the provincial and federal governments could reassess, since no investor would be willing to spend that amount of time and effort to get a project off the ground,” she said.
LNG Canada, the country’s first liquefied natural gas export project, is a joint venture between Shell Canada (40 per cent), Petronas Malaysia (25 per cent), Mitsubishi Japan (15 per cent), China National Petroleum Corporation (15 per cent) and South Korea’s KOGAS (10 per cent).
The project is viewed as a game-changer for Canada as it navigates trade tariffs imposed by the United States.
