Malaysia’s Energy Transition: A Structured Review of Barriers, Enablers and Strategic Pathways Toward a Low‑Carbon Power Sector

Malaysia’s power sector is central to the country’s decarbonisation agenda, yet the transition is constrained by legacy fossil assets, system integration limits, and policy–market design gaps. This paper presents a structured narrative review that synthesises peer‑reviewed evidence and authoritative institutional sources on Malaysia’s energy transition, with emphasis on the electricity supply system across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The review triangulates policy instruments (e.g., feed‑in tariff, net energy metering, competitive bidding for large‑scale solar), system indicators (e.g., grid emission factors), and international transition lessons to map barriers, enablers and high‑leverage interventions. We propose a staged roadmap (2025–2050) that prioritises near‑term renewable scaling and grid readiness, mid‑term flexibility and market deepening, and long‑term firm low‑carbon options and regional power trade. Taking into consideration the ambit of the review, the paper highlights the need for future research to be done on quantitative modeling, scenario simulation, and cost-based sensitivity analysis to further solidify the empirical foundation for the roadmap and policies. The contribution is a transparent evidence backbone and an actionable pathway set that can support policymakers, utilities and investors to accelerate renewable deployment while maintaining affordability and reliability.