Johor to build largest solar plant in Southeast Asia

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has outlined plans for the state to build the largest solar power plant in Southeast Asia. 

In a press statement on Sunday (Feb 28), Johor’s Royal Press Office said that the plant will be built in Pengerang in the southeastern part of the state. It will be “fully commissioned by 2023”. 

“To be called the Sultan Ibrahim Solar Park, the RM1.4 billion (US$350 million) project will be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia with a combined installed capacity of 450 megawatts,” the statement added. 

The project is Johor’s first private investment project for 2021, the statement said. 

Sultan Ibrahim is set to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony on Mar 23, at the project site in Pengerang.

The statement highlighted that the project is in line with the 2030 Johor sustainable development plan, which focuses on environmental preservation and protection as part of the state’s economic development plan. 

The sultan outlined that the project will have a “healthy economic spill over effect” for the people by creating jobs “at various levels”, said the statement.

“With this exciting project, Johor will make a quantum leap into the world of renewable and sustainable clean energy,” he said. 

He added that the project will mark Johor’s first major foray into large-scale sustainable energy to foster green economies and a cleaner environment.

“Johor is one of the states blessed with high sun hours. It is time that we tapped into this resource to boost our power generating capacity and contribute to the production of renewable energy,” the sultan said.