Sarawak To Scale Up Solar Capacity Through Floating, Ground-Mounted Projects

KUCHING, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Sarawak aims to scale up its solar capacity through both floating and ground-mounted installations as part of its efforts to advance renewable energy development in the state.

Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said three locations, namely Murum Reservoir, Bakun and Padawan, have been identified for feasibility studies to assess their suitability for solar deployment.

“The studies are expected to be completed by the end of this year,” he said in his keynote address at the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower 2025 in Paris, France, today.

The text speech was made available to the media here.

Abang Johari said Sarawak is also advancing studies into cascading run-of-river hydro across several river basins in the state.

“These assessments have already identified several sites with a combined hydropower generation potential of up to 3 gigawatts, signalling new opportunities to further harness the state’s natural resources in a sustainable and integrated manner,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abang Johari said hydropower remains the backbone of Sarawak’s generation mix, providing the stability that enables the integration of other renewable resources such as floating solar as well as the development of emerging green energy solutions including hydrogen and biomass.

“The 50MW floating solar farm at the Batang Ai Hydroelectric Plant and the 60MW Sejingkat Battery Energy Storage System are pioneering examples of hybrid and integrated energy solutions.

“These projects not only enhance grid stability but also demonstrate the viability of combining hydro and solar technologies,” he added.

-- BERNAMA