In Malaysia's Clean Energy Drive, Nepotism Concerns Soil Foreign Efforts

Schneider Electric Malaysia Country President, Peter Cave, discusses:

- Global slowdown - impact on global business;
- Reports - Schneider and Daimler - among industrial bellwethers to cut (previous) full-year targets due weaker demand - western Europe, China - feedback;
- Despite slowdown - group results still holding up - positive returns of over 20% since 2008 -- productivity gains, cost pass-throughs and cost management - manner of discipline represented in Malaysia;
- Malaysia Energy Dilemma - Schneider as Clean Energy proponents:
- Energy subsidised in Malaysia - seems little current impetus to address - unpopular - feedback;
- Cosy arrangement - first-generation IPPs - whether as suppliers Schneider are part of problem;
- Federal government - new policy to encourage more IPPs - clean energy challenges - but awarded another 2000MW to coal-fired producers, split between Tenaga Nasional and Malakoff - feelings against backdrop of clean energy efforts;
- Malaysia's aims to have over 3,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2020 - but Management is an issue: SEDA - award of feed-in tariff (FiT) allocation to daughter of Petronas chairman - feelings as re Malaysia's approach to renewable energy;
- Schneider Energy University - Malaysia application - marketability - penetration.