Malaysia Plans 1GW Agricultural PV Project
Dec 10, 2019
The Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and Internet of Things Research Institute (MARii) is planning a 1 GW solar project that will include the livestock industry in northern Sabah, Borneo.
The institute is jointly owned by Perodua, Malaysia's largest automaker, and another car company, Arus Jaya. The firm confirmed local media reports and told PV Magazine that it had raised $ 50 million for the first 200 MW phase of the project. According to the institute, the solar park will cover an area of 25,000 hectares, and in addition to solar panels deployed in barns and warehouses, 150,000 cattle will be grazed here.
The project will be jointly developed by Korean biomass expert NET Kovina Co, Ltd and Malaysia-Korea joint venture Max Legacy SdnBhd. Representatives of the two companies and MARii staff met with Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato 'Darell to discuss specific details of the project.
Compatible with agriculture
According to reports, MARii CEO Datuk Madani Sahari told Malaysian media reporters: "This project will create a new concept of smart agriculture that will enable the primary, secondary, tertiary and fourth industries- The industrial complex, as well as the manufacturing and service industries-is fully developed. What's more, the project will also work with local farmers to grow forage crops such as kenaf, corn, wheat and hay for livestock. "
No more technical or financial details about the project have been announced, and it is unclear whether this integrated project will receive government funding.
A 50 MW agricultural photovoltaic project was recently launched in Kedah, northwestern Malaysia. The power plant is equipped with JA Solar modules and was built by Kuala Lumpur, northeast of Penang, in Kuala Ketil, by Edra Energy Holdings Limited, a Chinese state-owned power company.
The Malaysian government supports the deployment of large-scale photovoltaic capacity through the auction procurement mechanism.
The recently announced 500 MW solar tender attracted 112 bids involving a total of more than 6.73 GW of renewable energy facility capacity. The first round of national procurement plans in 2016 limited the size of the proposed project to 50 MW, and allocated 200 MW of power generation capacity, as well as an additional 50 MW in Sabah. The second round of auctions was held in 2017, with a total of 360 MW of solar energy and 100 MW on Sabah and Labuan Island. The size of a single project was limited to 30 MW.
Editor: Kiko Lee
E-mail: kiko@wanhos.com
