Malaysia opens tender seeking 2GW of large-scale and floating solar PV

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Malaysia houses several floating solar PV power plants, such as Sungrow Floating PV’s 13MW plant (above). Image: Sungrow Floating PV

Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) has opened a tender seeking 2GW of large-scale and floating solar PV.

The tender opened yesterday (20 January) and is seeking applicants under two packages. The first package offers 1,500MW of capacity and is dedicated to large-scale solar PV power plants between 30MW and 500MW in capacity.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The second package is dedicated to water-based or floating solar PV with a capacity between 10MW and 500MW. 500MW has been allocated to this package.

The solar PV power plants that are accepted from these packages will be scheduled to commence operations in 2027.

PETRA confirmed that Suruhanjaya Tenaga, the Energy Commission, will conduct the quota bidding. Interested applicants must submit a request for proposal.

This is the second large-scale solar PV tender to be opened in Malaysia in less than a year. In April 2024, a tender with four packages was unveiled, seeking 2GW of capacity with projects anticipated to be online from 2026.

Malaysia is tipped to be a hot market for solar PV over the coming decades; a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) from March 2023 predicted that the country could deploy up to 153GW of solar generation capacity by 2050.

Solar PV forms a key part of the government’s goal to decarbonise. In 2023, the Malaysian government unveiled plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, targeting 70% of renewable energy by then, with solar contributing almost 60%.

Floating solar PV in Southeast Asia

The wider solar industry will likely welcome the inclusion of a floating solar PV and water-based project package. Malaysia and much of Southeast Asia have untapped potential in this field.

Early last year, research firm Rystad Energy predicted that Southeast Asia would add around 300MW of new floating solar capacity in the first few months of 2024. This was quickly followed by SolarDuck and Tokyu Land constructing the first floating solar project in Japan.

In August 2024, Malaysian energy company Cypark Resources Berhad commissioned a 100MW hybrid project featuring 35MW of floating solar PV in Merchang, a coastal town in the northeastern state of Terengganu, Malaysia.

Read Next

June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding its Gecama Wind Project in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, by integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
June 4, 2025
Tariffs on US imports will increase the cost of US solar PV and energy storage technologies and slow the rate of project development, according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie.
June 3, 2025
US independent power producer (IPP) Silicon Ranch has invested US$3 million in autonomous robotics company Swap Robotics.
June 3, 2025
US capital infrastructure investor NextEra Energy Resources has commissioned its first 100MW utility-scale Amite Solar facility in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.
June 3, 2025
Danish renewables firm European Energy has secured a €145 million (US$158 million) long-term loan to finance a 78.5MW solar park co-located with a 50MW battery storage plant in Anykščiai, Lithuania.
June 3, 2025
Greek renewables developer PPC has acquired an 88MW solar PV plant in the village of Vedrare, in the Karlovo region in central Bulgaria.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece