Renewable energy production has grown more prevalent in recent years as a result of the depletion of fossil fuel reserves.

Malaysia reiterated its commitment to renewable energy development to address long-term demand for energy while still realising the zero-carbon target.

This is consistent with the international Paris Agreement, which serves as a legal binding mechanism to bind international obligations on climate change action and to mitigate global warming. The international agreement corresponds with the government's 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), which was tabled last year, outlines the government's aspiration to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

In aspiring to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, marine renewable energy (MRE) should be considered as one of the credible measures. 

MRE development in Malaysia will require strategic planning due to constrained places as a result of exploitation for ocean space in relation to existing ocean users and activities to maximise each party's benefits without jeopardising the ecosystem.

MRE sources include wind, wave, current and tidal, and will require unique devices with varying spatial characteristics.

The major challenge in Malaysia's MRE development is the availability of feasible energy to be harnessed against the vast ocean space available. Sufficient testing grounds must also be accessible for marine energy development, from pilot projects to full-scale devices. These changes will affect how much space is used in the ocean, which policymakers need to keep in mind.

Current landscapes are limited in terms of size and resources availability, which means that there is a significant overlap between areas suitable for energy development and those already in use by fisheries, shipping, conservation and other sectors where possible without an integrated master plan.

It would be beneficial in the long run if the planning could incorporate a greater understanding of the impact of these activities on the marine habitat to maintain the integrity of marine ecosystems.

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is becoming more popular around the world as a way for coastal governments to better manage their internal and territorial waterways. As defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, MSP is a public process for assessing and allocating the geographical distribution of human activities in marine areas in terms of achieving ecological, economic and social goals that are typically specified through policy participation. This is in the spirit of promoting a more sustainable use of marine resources and coordinating and administering current and future sea-based activities, which is why it is critical to do so.

MSP has the capacity to encourage and could be used as a starting point for MRE development. MSP provides a good balance between human activities and ecological conditions such that future demand for marine space happens in a more sustainable way and it could also help the economy and the environment.

In MSP, diverse sectors and interests are consolidated in order to facilitate serious dialogue and decision-making about sustainable resource utilisation, which are critical characteristics of governance that enable the competing demands of growing and diversifying maritime economies to be met within social and ecological constraints.

MSP implementation will need close collaboration between government agencies, industry players and stakeholders.

The growth of MRE is seen as a strategic pillar in reducing reliance on fossil fuel energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, MSP serves the optimum coordination and management of this sector. Even though MSP is fairly new to Malaysia, the benefits of its implementation should be put into the spotlight so that the awareness, benefits and importance are properly placed.

Dr Izyan Munirah Mohd Zaideen is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Maritime Studies, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Captain Mohd Faizal Ramli is an Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Marine Specialist in Oil and Gas sector

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2022/05/797083/how-marine-power-can-be-harnessed-achieve-carbon-neutrality-goal