翻译
The Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga, ST) issued its Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Safety Guidelines, reference GP/ST/No.62/2026, under section 50C of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 [Act 447]. ST opened a feedback exercise on the document on 21 September 2026 under the title Feedback for Guidelines on Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Safety, with a submission deadline of 5 October 2026. That deadline has passed.
The commencement date is not in the document. Clause text reads: “These Guidelines shall come into operation on the date of the registration of these Guidelines.” The Registration Record table in the published PDF is blank, so the date of registration — and therefore the date the Guidelines take effect — cannot be read from the file. As of 2 November 2026, no announcement of a final or registered version appeared on ST’s homepage or the first two pages of its newsroom, which cover entries up to 30 October 2026.
Scope is by application, not by size. Clause 2.1 applies the Guidelines to “Lithium-ion batteries used in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)” and to any person who uses, works or operates a BESS. Three annexes split the requirements by deployment rather than by rated capacity: Annex A for consumer-owned systems operating in parallel with the grid, Annex B for “Large-capacity BESS connected to the main electricity grid”, and Annex C for off-grid systems. There is no MW or MWh threshold anywhere in the document. A residential battery and a utility-scale installation are both in scope.
Requirements members should read in full include outdoor installation as the recommended default, with fire suppression required where indoor installation is unavoidable (clause 6.3(a)); thermal runaway protection with design and testing to UL 9540A (clause 6.5.3); IP54 or higher enclosures for outdoor equipment (clause 6.4.5(a)); anti-islanding protection for grid-connected systems (clause 6.4.2(a)); UN 38.3 testing before transport (clause 6.2.1(b)); electrical work by a contractor registered with the Commission and a competent person appointed for design, installation, operation and maintenance (clauses 4.2(a) and 4.2(b)); a SAT certificate covering all commissioning tests (clause 6.6.2(c)); and maintenance only under a valid Permit to Work under Regulation 113 (clause 6.7.1).
Two things members have asked about are not in the document: there are no separation or setback distance figures, and there is no duty to notify ST of an installation. Clause 4.3(a) leaves siting and fire safety to the relevant local authorities.
Primary source: Energy Commission of Malaysia, Guidelines on Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Safety (GP/ST/No.62/2026) — consultation page: st.gov.my consultation notice · PDF
Figures verified 2 November 2026.
