KUALA LUMPUR: The government will look into implementing a sixth cycle of the large scale solar (LSS) programme to utilise the potential 5.2 Gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in Peninsular Malaysia, says Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
The Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister said LSS 6 will come about once projects under the current LSS 5 are completed, which are expected to be in commercial operation in 2026 and 2027.
LSS is a solar adoption programme that allows businesses to generate electricity from their solar farms in order to sell back to the national grid.
Akmal also said that Perak had the highest potential for solar projects in the peninsula with plans to encourage the development of floating solar power plants in the country.
“To achieve the potential 5.2 GW of solar power capacity, it will have to be done through phases with grants or tech incentives,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (March 4).
He also encouraged the development of solar power plant projects on brownfield areas, former abandoned industrial or commercial sites, which would reduce the need for land reclamation.
“This will allow the existing non-brownfield land to be used for other more productive economic activities such as agriculture, agri-food, and industry,” he added.
Akmal was responding to Lee Chuan How (PH-Ipoh Timor) who asked on the state of the ministry’s policy on developing solar farm projects in the country.
The current LSS 5, which began last year, has a potential of 2 GW in capacity up for businesses to bid for with a quarter of it set aside for floating solar projects.
