Gading Kencana eyes building fourth solar farm in Kedah

13 Mar 2023

Solar energy service provider, Gading Kencana Sdn Bhd plans to build its fourth solar farm in Kedah with a capacity of 100 to 150 megawatts (MW) within the next two years.

Managing director Datuk Muhamad Guntor Mansor Tobeng said to date the company owns a large-scale solar farm in Ayer Keroh, Melaka as well as two more in Bidor, Perak, with plans to expand its services in the northern region of the country.

“We are currently identifying the site for the development of the solar farm and a 100MW solar farm may require an investment of up to RM400 million.

“We are moving in line with the government’s policy to achieve net zero carbon target by 2050. Currently, the government is introducing the feed-in-tariff mechanism first, followed by competitive bidding for large-scale solar projects, and has recently launched the corporate green power programme,” he said.

Speaking to the media at the “Making Kedah Sustainable: Reducing the Cost of Living through Renewable Energy” seminar here today, Muhamad Guntor said the company also planned to expand its business overseas after drawing interest from several countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

He said the company had set up a foreign investment company in Indonesia to build a solar farm in the country within the next five years.

He said the two potential locations for the construction of the solar farm had been identified, either in Java or Banjarmasin in Kalimantan, with high demand being from Java.

“In addition, we have received enquiries from Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania, all of which are markets that we are focusing on.

“We are currently exporting our solar panels to Nigeria, so we already have customers there, and we may be able to expand our business,” he added.

Earlier, Muhamad Guntor was a panel member at the seminar which aimed to explain the policy of net-zero emissions and the importance of renewable energy.

Source: Bernama