Kula Lumpur, April 2 -- Malaysia is advancing waste-to-energy (WtE) technology as a renewable energy source, with plans to build 18 such plants nationwide with a combined capacity of 600 megawatts by 2040.

Malaysian Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sungai Udang WtE plant in Melaka state on April 2.

He said the initiative will help ease the burden on landfills while contributing to renewable energy generation and significantly reducing carbon emissions. The plan also supports the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which aims for renewable energy to account for 70% of Malaysia's power generation capacity by 2050.

Nga Kor Ming noted that the Sungai U...