Large Scale Solar

Malaysia has opened competitive bidding for one gigawatt (GW) of solar plants worth about RM4 billion, the largest capacity offered under its Large Scale Solar (LSS) scheme.

Public Investment Bank Bhd disclosed that the previous three cycles of LSS boasted capacities of between 370 megawatts (MW) to 500MW.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, via the Energy Commission, is requesting proposals through competitive bidding process for the development of the fourth cycle of LSS (LSS4) projects.

The aggregate solar capacity open for tendered this round was higher at 1GW. This is the largest capacity offered under the LSS programme so far.

The solar plants under LSS4 are expected to start operating latest by December 31 2023, as the development of each plant would take up to 18 months.

LSS4 offers a 1.0GW solar quota through the bidding process and is opened to fully-owned local companies or with at least 75 per cent local shareholding for companies listed on Bursa Malaysia.

Two packages offered through the tender are 500MW for capacity between 10MW and 30MW, and another 500MW for capacity between 30MW and 50MW.

The projects are expected to be commissioned by end-2023, with a term of 21 years for each LSS plant.

As the solar workforce grows, the cost of technology comes down and with consumer savings on the rise, now is the time to expand the clean energy marketplace and provide everyday Malaysians with the opportunity to invest in our future.