Subsidiaries of Gentari and Gamuda will develop 1. 5 GW of solar with battery storage in Malaysia to supply hyperscale data centers under the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS), supporting the country's push to expand clean energy and meet rising tech-sector demand.
What is Malaysia's first utility-scale battery energy storage system?
Malaysian utilities company Sarawak Energy has commissioned what is described as the nation's first utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS). The 60 MW/82 MWh BESS, which was first energized in Dec 2024, shares the site with the soon-to-be-phased-out Sejingkat Power Plant, first commissioned in 1998.
Thus, developing energy storage mechanisms is essential. In line with the trend for Emerging markets to move to renewables, Malaysia has set an ambitious target for renewable energy to account for 20% of its total energy mix by 2025, from the current level of 2% (excluding large hydro).
116MWP Coara Marang solar farm, one of the largest Solar Projects in Malaysia has started construction In Terengganu. In June 2020, Director of Coara Marang, Susan Hemming, signed a 21-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the country's largest electricity utility, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Upon completion, the facility will be one of the largest battery storage systems in Southeast Asia and the first energy storage facility in Sabah, with a final installed capacity of 517MWh. It is designed to enhance grid stability, boost reserve margins during peak demand periods, and enable further expansion of power plant in the region.
Beside the ongoing of the BESS project in Sabah, the company is currently overseeing two large-scale solar projects under the Corporate Green Power Program scheme with total of approximately 95 MWp, scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
Malaysia has been taking steps to increase its solar capacity in recent months. In Jan. 2025, the country's Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) announced that it was adding an additional bidding round under its Large Scale Solar (LSS) program for the development of 2 GW of PV power.