SERENDAH (Oct 17): Shanghai-listed LONGi Green Energy Technology Co is setting up a solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Selangor, with a total of RM1.8 billion capital investment as part of its Malaysian expansion plan.
This marks its first PV manufacturing base in Peninsular Malaysia. The world’s largest manufacturer of solar monocrystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules has a manufacturing base in Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone, Sarawak — its first facility outside of China — which it established back in 2016.
The new facility in Serendah, LONGi said, is being developed on a 140-acre land. Currently, the construction of phase one is completed, and the construction of phase two is targeted to be completed by March 2024.
Upon completion of both phases, the module plant is slated to have a combined production capacity of 8.8 gigawatts (GW) per annum, its international manufacturing centre vice-president Ngieng Sii Jing told the press after the ground-breaking ceremony.
In Sarawak, LONGi’s solar manufacturing base has developed immensely, with two other ingot plants, one ingot shaping plant, two wafer plants, three cell plants and one module plant to be developed within seven years.
In a statement, LONGi said the Serendah module plant has generated roughly 900 local employment opportunities, a number anticipated to exceed 2,000 in the future.
Since venturing overseas in 2015 and establishing a foothold in Malaysia in 2016, LONGi said it has sequentially launched operations in silicon rod, wafer, cell, and module manufacturing in Kuching and Bintulu, Sarawak.
LONGi said its Kuching operation is also the world's premiere vertically integrated monocrystalline silicon solar manufacturing unit.
To date, LONGi said its investments in Malaysia have reached RM5.4 billion, and its workforce in Malaysia has grown from an initial 570 staffers to over 8,000 this year, of which 99.9% of them are Malaysians.
LONGi to setup APAC HQ in KL
LONGi vice president Li Wenxue said the Serendah venture will help Malaysia in its pursuit of sustainable development goals and ambition to lead decarbonisation efforts in the Asia-Pacific.
“Recognising Malaysia's robust international logistics, talented workforce, and a government that's resolutely pro-sustainability, we've also resolved to set up LONGi's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. This will synergise with our Malaysian production base, further augmenting LONGi's brand resonance in the region,” he said.
Ministry of International Trade and Industry deputy secretary general (Investment) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil described LONGi’s Serendah module plant as a testament to the government’s collaborative strides with the company towards achieving sustainable development.
“With the global photovoltaic market poised for significant growth, Malaysia stands at the cusp of green revitalisation — a fact that fills us with immense pride,” she said.