The development of a measurement system for fortifying Malaysia’s energy security
Publication Date
July 26, 2025
Creator
Abstract
Energy security (ES) is a complex concept requiring a multifaceted approach to quantify through any set of dimensions, indicators, or variables. For the past two decades, researchers in energy management, policy, and sustainability have studied ES intensively. A critical issue identified in Malaysia is the lack of a consolidated framework and policy documentation for ES. The over-reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation, driven by the need for affordable, always-available energy, often overshadows environmental sustainability. This study's first objective is to create system dynamics models using primary and secondary data to map the most feasible dimensions of Malaysia’s ES. Stakeholder engagement follows to further add input and context to this data, leading to primary data collection that identifies five ES dimensions. These dimensions are then used to create a framework for quantifying ES through indicator mapping, data normalization, and aggregation.
The methodology involves creating system dynamics models using Vensim based on secondary data from energy policies and reviews and complemented by primary data from stakeholder engagement and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) to identify five critical ES dimensions. The interviews, analysed with Quirkos using an inductive grounded theory approach, identified five dimensions from seven emerging themes focused on reducing fossil fuel dependency and enhancing energy efficiency. These themes include the role of renewable energy, fossil fuels, technology applicability, the 4A’s of energy security, environmental sustainability, economic development, and governance. The Malaysian ESI is constructed using data normalization and aggregation techniques, visualized through radar charts, showing an improvement in energy security scores from 4.88 in 2006 to 6.64 in 2018.
The study underscores the need to reduce Malaysia's fossil fuel reliance by shifting to renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies, crucial for enhancing energy efficiency, affordability, and availability. While energy equity is central to Malaysia's energy trilemma, environmental sustainability also requires equal focus. The findings reveal inadequacies in addressing current ES dimensions, with some dimensions showing deterioration in scores, highlighting the need for a targeted ES policy. This study advocates for the development of a dedicated ES policy, emphasizing a data-driven and stakeholder-engaged approach to secure natural resources, promote sustainable economic growth, and mitigate environmental impacts.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
eprints ID
80840
UoN Repository URI
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Full-text
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