Institute of Energy Policy and Research (IEPRe) was officially launched on 11 August 2009 by Y.A. Bhg. Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansur as part of the Universiti Tenaga Nasional's Strategic Transformation Initiative to spearhead research and consultancy activities in the field widely considered a niche to UNITEN.

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The establishment of Institute of Energy Policy and Research (IEPRe) in UNITEN is timely, as Malaysia needs to focus on the issue related to energy and environment, which would contribute to the government, corporation and other stakeholder in making informed decisions.

It is an important facet of the Energy and Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) that merges the technical understanding of engineering and its related disciplines, with knowledge of regulatory and business point of view.

IEPRe has received strong support mainly from Tenaga Nasional Berhad, the Energy Commission and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water. IEPRe main focus areas include directed research, capacity building, fellowship program and sharing of industrial experiences. IEPRe relies on its internal capability to carry out academic research and consultancy projects in the six research focused areas through collaborations with experts from other institutions and industries.

VISION

To be the premier energy policy research institute in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region.

MISSION

To conduct independent research and contribute towards capacity building in energy and environment issues relevant to the country's socio-economic goals, which will benefit the public, government, regulators, industry, academia and relevant stakeholders.

Objectives

The IEPRe in UNITEN will lead research projects pertaining to the financial and economic analysis of the industry both on the supply and the demand side. For the supply side, the studies could be in the area of tariff setting, long term energy planning and energy security. On the demand side, it will also look at energy use in all sectors consisting of industry, commercial and domestic users.

The establishment of the IEPRe will enable:

  • Delivery of research and consultancy efforts to the ESI, in the area of Energy Economics which would enable government and industry players make informed decisions on the industry and create an environment of growth and sustainability
  • Malaysia to be competitive as we would be able to operate our energy industry efficiently and help ensure energy securit
  • Malaysia to develop local expertise that are fully knowledgeable with the local electrical power system and its economics enabling a relatively quicker analysis and collaboration with international consultants.

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Framework

The operational framework of the Institute of Energy Policy & Research include:

  1. Work with the government ministries and provide inputs to the government as a 'think-tank' on energy related subjects.
  2. Work with the industry to understand their issues and concerns, where appropriate IEPRe seek the opportunity to provide solutions through consultancy, research, capacity building and outreach program.
  3. Promote collaborative research in partnership or networking with other research & academic institutions, industry and funding organizations at national and international level.
  4. Design and deliver academic and management development programmes through,
    • Short courses such as in renewable energy, energy economics and analytical tools for techno-economic analysis of energy projects
    • Management Development Programmes
    • PhD scholarships programmes
    • Faculty exchange programmes 2-3 day long programs / workshops to sensitize stakeholders (government, policymakers, utilities etc) on issues within IEPRe areas of focus
    • Fellowship programme.
  5. Undertake research activities and disseminate the findings.
  6. Develop capacity building to enhance core compentancy for researchers and associate researchers at IEPRe to undertake energy supply-demand and climate change modeling or related analysis.
  7. Manage the fund under the Chair in Energy Economics at UNITEN/IEPRe.
  8. Drive research under the UNITEN’s Energy and Social Sustainable cluster.