BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): A signing ceremony for the Joint-Venture Agreement, Land Lease Agreement and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a 30-megawatt (MW) Solar Photovoltaics Power Plant (SPVPP) was held at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of Brunei.
The project, to be developed on a remediated landfill site in Kampong Belimbing, marks a significant step forward in Brunei Darussalam’s renewable energy efforts.
Present as guests of honour were Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof; and Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah.
Also in attendance were deputy ministers, permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
The ceremony began with welcoming remarks, followed by the symbolic signing of the Joint-Venture Agreement, which formalised the creation of a new entity – Seri Suria Power (B) Sdn Bhd.
Signing were Board Director of Khazanah Satu Sdn Bhd Haji Asrul Adrain bin POKSPDSS Dr Haji Ahmad, Chairman and Managing Director of Serikandi Oilfield Services Sdn Bhd Shaikh Haji Khalid bin Shaikh Haji Ahmad, and Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer on behalf of Atlantic Blue Sdn Bhd Liew Chee Ing.
The event continued with the signing of the Land Lease Agreement between the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Seri Suria Power (B) Sdn Bhd. Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Prime Minister’s Office Hajah Farida binti Dato Seri Paduka Haji Talib signed on behalf of the government, while Chief Executive Officer of Seri Suria Power (B) Sdn Bhd Ravi Bhaskaran signed on behalf of the company.
The ceremony concluded with the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which sets the framework for a 25-year long-term energy supply from the SPVPP.
Signing the PPA were Acting Director of the Department of Electrical Services Ahmad Ridza bin Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Rahman and Chief Executive Officer of Seri Suria Power (B) Sdn Bhd Ravi Bhaskaran.
The agreements were witnessed by both Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi and Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew.
Seri Suria Power (B) Sdn Bhd is a joint-venture company formed by Khazanah Satu Sdn Bhd, a government-linked company, and Serikandi Oilfield Services Sdn Bhd, in partnership with Atlantic Blue Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Solarvest Holdings Berhad, Malaysia.
The 30MW solar project is expected to significantly boost the country’s renewable energy capacity and support the national target of achieving 30 per cent renewable energy in the total installed capacity mix by 2035.
This milestone represents Brunei Darussalam’s largest government-led solar project to date and the first large-scale solar initiative under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). It underscores the nation’s commitment to diversifying its energy mix and pursuing low-carbon development as part of its decarbonisation agenda. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
