Masdar signs deal to build floating solar plant in Malaysia
The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) signed an agreement to develop its first project in Malaysia, a floating solar photovoltaic plant with capacity of up to 200 megawatts. The plant was set to be built at the Chereh Dam in Malaysia’s Pahang state, with a total value estimated at around $208 million.
A consortium led by Masdar was expected to deliver the project, alongside two Malaysian partners, CITAGLOBAL and TIZA Global. Masdar also moved to work with local Malaysian entities, signing a power purchase agreement with national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad. Once operational, the facility was expected to become the largest floating solar project in Southeast Asia.
The new plant was planned to cover about 950 acres. Peak output was expected to exceed 300 megawatts, with 200 megawatts in alternating current capacity. At full performance, the project was expected to generate enough electricity to supply more than 100,000 homes in Malaysia.
The project was set to use advanced floating solar technologies designed to fit the specific conditions of the Chereh Dam site. Its scale was positioned as a foundation for future expansion, and as part of Malaysia’s broader push to add more renewable power capacity.
The Chereh Dam project followed a 2023 development framework agreed between Masdar and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, which targeted 10 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in the country. The project also aligned with Masdar’s wider global footprint across more than 40 countries, and its aim to scale clean energy capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2030.
