Credit : Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof's X
Quality foreign investment must do more than bring capital and technology into Malaysia, and should leave lasting added value for the country and its people, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof said.
Fadillah made the point while officiating at the CGNEI 2026 Gas Turbine Power Generation Committee Annual Conference at the EPH Training Centre, Edra Melaka Power Plant, on November 4, 2026, he said in a post shared on X.
In his speech, he stressed that foreign investors who choose Malaysia as an investment destination should play a bigger role in developing the capabilities of local industry. This includes widening the participation of local companies across the entire value chain, building supplier networks, opening up opportunities in engineering and carrying out technology transfer, he said.
Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the development of the local workforce must be given priority at the same time. “Malaysians should not only be given job opportunities, but must also be equipped with high-technology training and technical skills so that they can master expertise, raise productivity and enjoy better income opportunities,” he wrote.
He described the setting up of the CGNEI Gas Turbine Skills Training Centre (CGNEI GTSTC) in Melaka, an initiative of CGN Energy International (CGNEI) and Edra Power Holdings Sdn Bhd, as an example of cooperation that deserves to be expanded. The centre has the potential to produce more experts in power generation operations, especially gas turbine technology, with training opportunities also open to workers from across the country, he said.
“I believe strategic cooperation between international investors and local industry must go beyond purely commercial interests,” Fadillah said. He added that sharing expertise and operating experience, and building the capacity of local companies, would strengthen the industry’s competitiveness and build a more sustainable national energy ecosystem.
“As local capabilities continue to improve, Malaysia will not only gain greater benefits from foreign investment, but will also be able to play a more significant role in strengthening energy security at the regional level,” he said.
Also present were Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh and CGN Energy International Holdings Co Ltd chairman Zhang Chaoqun.
According to Edra, the training centre is located within the Edra Melaka Power Plant, which the company describes as Southeast Asia’s largest combined-cycle gas turbine power plant, and is described by its operator as Malaysia’s first dedicated gas turbine skills training centre. Its competency assessments cover plant operations, mechanical maintenance, electrical maintenance, and control and instrumentation systems, and the centre plans to add simulator-based training and scenario exercises as well as instruction in automation, digitalisation, data analytics, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Speaking at the same event, Ab Rauf said the proposed RM6 billion investment by Edra in Melaka, aimed at supplying power to data centres planned in the state, had the potential to create more than 3,000 jobs, the New Straits Times reported. He urged CGNEI, Edra and other industry partners to keep providing specialised training, industrial placements and career pathways for young people in Melaka.
In a statement reported by Bernama on November 5, 2026, Fadillah said his visit to Melaka was official business linked to his ministry, as the conference concerned power generation that could benefit the state’s economy and national energy security. He said the programme had no connection with the election in the state, and that Ab Rauf attended in his capacity as Chief Minister at the organisers’ invitation.
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