KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 18): Malaysia’s Energy Commission (EC) will conduct an open tender for the large-scale solar (LSS) Petra 5+ programme, offering opportunities to develop solar plants with capacities ranging from 10MW to 500MW, scheduled for operation in 2027.

The LSS Petra 5+ open bidding programme targets a total capacity of 2,000MW, involving capacities ranging from 10MW to 500MW, according to the EC’s notice of request for proposal (RFP).

This is the second LSS bid in two years, having called for an earlier 2GW bid for LSS5 in April and notified the winners late last year.

The capacity will be allocated under two packages.

Package A is for land-based solar power plants, offering a total quota of 1,500MW. The capacity range open for bidding under this package is between 30MW and 500MW.

Meanwhile, Package B is for floating or water-based solar power plants, with a total quota of 500MW. The capacity range open for bidding under this package is between 10MW and 500MW.

Participation is open to Malaysian-incorporated companies with at least 51% local equity ownership or consortium that include at least one Malaysian-incorporated company meeting the same equity criteria.

Interested bidders must acquire the RFP documents online via the EC’s website from Jan 20 to Jan 24, priced at RM3,000 per document.

Physical submission of completed RFP documents is required by Feb 28, with any changes to submission methods to be announced on the EC’s website.

The EC said it is seeking companies or consortium with extensive experience in energy project development, including project financing and the operation of power plants.

The selected solar plants are expected to commence operations by 2027, aligning with Malaysia’s broader goals for renewable energy development and sustainability.