Kuala Lumpur, March 15 – The presence of high technology and established solar players is crucial to the completion of the whole ecosystem of the solar industry in Malaysia, said Datuk Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
“Towards this, MIDA is proud to share that we have attracted an addition of 7 more solar manufacturing projects and 83 renewable energy projects in the solar industry worth RM1.77 billion and RM0.65 billion respectively, last year. The biggest investment was contributed by Longi, a major solar giant producing solar ingot, wafer cells and modules. Other investments approved include Jinko Solar and JA Solar which will be undertaking expansion and diversification activities,” he added at the PV CellTech 2017 held in Penang yesterday.
“Located in the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone, Sarawak, Longi’s project worth RM1.06 billion will create 2,360 job opportunities. Notably, its employees will be given further technical skills training and knowledge capability development. Bringing along state-of-the-art technologies, Longi’s operations will further strengthen the current solar ecosystem in Malaysia. We welcome more of such high value added investments in the upstream solar ecosystem, particularly those with high efficiency in technology and cost competitive in production,” said the CEO of MIDA.
Malaysia has achieved significant progress in the solar PV industry over the last decade that had resulted in the growth of new businesses and creation of jobs. As at 2015, 48 solar projects have been implemented with total investments of RM28.0 billion, to produce solar wafers, cells, modules and balance of system components.
Of this, 95.3% was from foreign investments, while another 4.7% was from domestic sources. The projects have created more than 26,700 job opportunities. According to a recent survey conducted by MIDA, the export and local sourcing activities undertaken by the top solar companies in the country in 2016 valued at RM11.1 billion and RM1.42 billion, respectively.
“While a comprehensive ecosystem is a magnet for investors, we are aware that a strong supply chain is also crucial to support the industry to maintain a conducive business environment. Towards this goal, we are building up local capabilities to develop further in areas such as system integration and the balance of system components, which are important parts of the PV system value chain,” he said.
“While a comprehensive ecosystem is a magnet for investors, we are aware that a strong supply chain is also crucial to support the industry to maintain a conducive business environment. Towards this goal, we are building up local capabilities to develop further in areas such as system integration and the balance of system components, which are important parts of the PV system value chain,” he added.