A subsidiary of oil and gas company Reservoir Link has signed an agreement to jointly develop Malaysia’s first dispatchable solar PV plant.
Founder Group Limited, trading as Founder Energy, announced on 26 September that it had signed a head of agreement with Planet QEOS, an agricultural technology and energy group.
The deal will see a consortium led by Founder and Planet QEOS deliver a 310MWp ground-mounted solar PV plant in Baram, northern Sarawak, paired with a 620MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
The project, named the Baram DeepTech Energy Program, is estimated to be worth RM1.16bn
According to earlier reports from Planet QEOS, partners in the programme also include Malaysian renewable energy firms EFS Energy and ES Sunlogy, along with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and Chinese renewables provider Hopewind.
Sarawak deputy minister Datuk Gerawat Gala told The Star in August that the project would bring “round-the-clock renewable power to Baram…unlocking the full potential of the Baram hinterland for sustainable growth with improved connectivity, modern infrastructure, new industries, and skilled employment opportunities.”
The consortium will now seek regulatory approvals, financial close and definitive agreements, including power purchase contracts. Plans also include the development of a 200MW Tier-4 Green Data Centre Park in Baram, with Tier-4 being the highest reliability ranking for data centres.
Malaysia has been relatively slow in adopting large-scale storage, partly due to its stable peninsular electricity grid and natural gas resources.
However, renewable energy growth – needed to meet the country’s 2050 net zero goal – along with rising demand from data centres, is expected to increase the role of BESS.
