Sultan Ibrahim Solar Park Ground Breaking Cancelled

---

 
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar says Johor is strategically located to have a solar plant based on the demand from its neighbour, Singapore. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: The groundbreaking ceremony for the Sultan Ibrahim Solar Park project in Pengerang, Johor has been cancelled, as the government had not provided any response on the proposal.
The ceremony, which was scheduled for March 23, was to be officiated by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, after whom the park was named.
“I don’t see any reason why the federal government would not be willing to give Johor a chance to be an eco-friendly producer of electricity,” the ruler said in a statement on his official Facebook page.
“We have a suitable plot for the project, robust growth and development, as well as a healthy demand from our neighbours, which makes Johor a most strategic location.”
Sultan Ibrahim had announced last week that Johor would be a leading producer of renewable energy by 2023 with the commissioning of the power plant.
The proposed project was set to be Johor’s first major private investment for 2021, worth RM1.4 billion.
It would be the state’s first foray into large-scale sustainable energy production, and would have a combined installed capacity of 450MW, making it the biggest in Southeast Asia.
The plant was also expected to provide spillover benefits to the state economy and create jobs at varying skill levels.
It was reported last week that Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) had announced a joint venture with a Singapore-based solar firm to trial clean electricity exports to the island republic.
The electricity to be imported by TNB and Sunseap Group could account for about 1.5% of Singapore’s peak electricity demand, Reuters reported.
The effort follows Singapore’s announcement last October that it planned to trial clean energy imports from Malaysia over two years as part of a series of moves aimed at reducing its carbon footprint. - FMT

---