KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 7): Southern Johor Renewable Energy Corridor (SJREC), a hybrid solar and battery energy storage zone, is targeting its first domestic green electricity delivery as early as 2028, followed by exports to Singapore from 2029, as the state seeks to establish itself as a regional renewable energy hub.

The first phase of the project is in the works, after Malaysia-based Ditrolic Energy Holdings Sdn Bhd through its subsidiary Southern Solar Alliance Pte Ltd secured a conditional approval from Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) to supply up to 600 megawatts (MW) of RE from Johor to Singapore, according to a statement.

SJREC, a 15-year renewable energy development along Johor’s east coast by Johor state investment arm Permodalan Darul Ta’zim (PDT), Ditrolic Energy and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

“This approval is an important milestone for the company and reflects strong confidence in the technical robustness, scale and reliability of our energy import project under the SJREC platform,” said Ditrolic Energy group CEO Tham Chee Aun.

The project is scheduled to sign its first batch of power purchase agreements with local buyers within the next three months, with domestic green electricity supply expected as early as 2028. 

Exports to Singapore are targeted to begin in 2029, subject to regulatory and technical approvals in both countries.

Ditrolic Energy said close to 90% of the planned energy output has already attracted offtake interest from Singapore-based users, including those in transport, airport and port operations, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, logistics and real estate.

PDT CEO Datuk Ramlee Rahman said SJREC is being developed to position Johor as a “global-scale renewable energy hub” supplying clean electricity for both domestic consumption and exports.

“With this first phase progressing under EMA’s conditional approval, we are advancing the critical infrastructure needed to underpin the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone,” he said.

Besides the solar farm, the project is also envisioned to house about four gigawatts-peak (GWp) of solar and storage capacity, including 5.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of utility-scale battery storage, and is also intended to supply energy-intensive industries such as data centres and high-tech manufacturing in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).