Malaysia launches sixth utility-scale PV tender with 1.25 GW of storage

Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) has announced plans for the sixth round of the country’s large-scale solar program (LSS6).

LSS6 will look to procure 2.5 GW of solar combined with 1.25 GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS).

PETRA is planning to implement the upcoming round in three lots, a move it says is designed to enable wider participation of companies under the scheme.

The first lot, covering 2.2 GW of solar and 1.1 GW of BESS, will be open to all developers. The second lot, covering 300 MW of solar and 150 MW of BESS, will be available specifically to companies owned and controlled by indigenous people in the Malaysian peninsular, otherwise known as Bumiptuera companies.

For both these lots, the request for proposal document will be available to purchase from PETRA’s headquarters from July 27 until Aug. 7.

A final lot is also planned, covering an additional 150 MW of solar without BESS and is only available to Bumiputera companies that are interested in venturing into the energy industry. The request for proposal document will be available for this lot from Aug. 17 until Aug. 28.

Under Malaysia’s LSS tenders, independent power producers can secure power purchase agreements to sell electricity to the national grid for up to 25 years.

Additional details released by PETRA confirm that in LSS6, solar bids can range between 60 MW to 500 MW in size under lots one and two, and between 10 MW and 30 MW in size under lot three. The ministry says project development focus will be given to strategic areas with high electricity demand growth, particularly in the southern region of the peninsula.

LSS6 is expected to attract private investment of up to MYR 15 billion ($3.6 billion) and create up to 20,000 job opportunities during the project development and construction period. Projects awarded under the tender are expected to enter commercial operations no later than Dec. 31, 2029.

Malaysia’s LSS tenders were first introduced in 2016 and have approved over 6 GW of solar to date, including almost 2 GW from the latest round last September. As of October 2025, all projects awarded under the first three rounds were operational.

The country’s solar capacity surpassed 5.7 GW in 2025, with over 1.4 GW added in 2025. Analysts have predicted Malaysia is on track to reach 29.7 GW of solar capacity by 2035.