Engie commenses Kerian Solar Project operation

French energy firm Engie, has reached the commercial operation date (COD) of the Kerian Solar Project on Aug 5, 2022.

Located in the state of Perak, Malaysia, the project has a 100 MW (136.44 MWp) capacity and was developed by Kerian Solar, a special-purpose company formed by a joint-venture between TTL Energy, and Engie.

Despite challenging soil conditions and the impact of Covid-19 related restrictions, Kerian Solar reached its COD 22 months after commencement of construction activities in October 2020 with Ditrolic Energy as EPCC Contractor.

Engie Australia and Southeast Asia renewables managing director Theirry Kalfon said commissioning their first solar farm in Malaysia is an important step towards the delivery of their renewable growth ambitions in Southeast Asia.

Kerian Solar will supply more than 212 GWh of power per year, offsetting around 139,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, the equivalent of eliminating the annual carbon emissions of 11,800 Malaysian households.

Ditrolic Energy chief executive officer Tham Chee Aun said: “TTL Energy and Ditrolic Energy are extremely delighted to be able to complete one of the largest solar farms in Malaysia, which marks a new milestone in the local clean energy sector.

“With the completion of this 136 MW project, we are proud to demonstrate that Ditrolic Energy is able to complete a project of such scale in an extremely challenging environment against the backdrop of the pandemic,” he said in a statement.

Upon reaching its COD, Kerian Solar entered into a 21-year PPA with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to sell CO2 emissions-free electricity generated by the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy plant.

The energy produced will be transmitted to the grid to support the Malaysian government’s target of generating 20 per cent of the country’s energy through renewable means by 2025.