Google says it plans to add more than 1 GW of new clean energy capacity to Malaysia’s national grid. It will work with state-owned utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to enable the development of new clean energy generation facilities through Malaysia’s Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS). The collaboration will also explore round-the-clock clean energy projects to address the intermittency of renewable sources such as solar. The initiative builds on Google’s existing clean energy partnerships with consortiums led by Shizen Energy-Solarvest and TotalEnergies to support grid resilience and decarbonization. The company also plans to pay for 100% of the electricity consumed by its data center campuses and the direct infrastructure costs required to connect them to the grid.
IOI Corporation Berhad has partnered with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to develop a 500 MW AC solar PV project integrated with a 250 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Malaysia. Under the agreement, IOI’s wholly owned subsidiary, Luminous Aspect Sdn Bhd, will collaborate with TNB Renewables Sdn Bhd and a consortium of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop the project. It will be developed under Malaysia’s Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS).
TNB Renewables will hold a 70% stake in the project development company, Bahau Energy Ventures, while Luminous Aspect and the SME consortium will hold 25% and 5%, respectively. The project will be supported by TNB’s long-term renewable energy offtake agreement with Singapore-based DayOne Data Centres Limited, under which DayOne is expected to procure up to 500 MW AC of renewable energy over 21 years to support its operations in Malaysia.
New Zealand-based Meridian Energy’s proposed 420 MW Western Bays Solar Farm has been referred by the government for consideration under the country’s Fast-track consenting process. Located on the western side of Lake Taupō, the proposed solar farm is expected to generate up to 870 GWh of renewable electricity annually, equivalent to roughly 2% of New Zealand’s current electricity generation.
The development also has the option to include distributed on-site battery energy storage systems with a combined power capacity of up to 250 MW and storage duration of up to eight hours. Meridian said it plans to submit the substantive project application in early 2027. If approved, the development would rank among New Zealand’s largest solar farms, it added.
Philippines-based Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) plans to acquire a 60% equity interest in Manolo Fortich Power Corporation (MFPC). The latter plans to develop a 191 MW AC solar power project integrated with battery energy storage in Bukidnon, Philippines. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (ARI), AboitizPower recently signed a Joint Development and Investment Agreement with MFPC and ABC Energy. Under the proposed transaction, ARI will invest about PHP 750 million by subscribing to newly issued shares in MFPC. Upon completion, ARI will hold a 60% stake, while ABC Energy will retain the remaining 40%.
Frontier Energy, an Australian renewable energy developer, has signed a Capacity Investment Scheme Agreement (CISA) with the Australian Government for stage one of its Waroona Renewable Energy Project. The agreement provides revenue support for the Western Australia-located project until 2042, alongside Western Australia’s Reserve Capacity Scheme. Under the mechanism, the government will provide top-up payments if project revenues fall below an agreed minimum level, helping reduce revenue risks and support project financing, Frontier said. Stage one comprises a 132 MW solar PV facility and an 81.5 MW BESS. Frontier said signing the agreement fulfills one of the final conditions for financial close of its AUD 280 million debt facility, which is expected shortly. First power generation is targeted for 2028.
New Zealand-based Lightyears has secured NZD 174 million in funding from Japan and Australia to accelerate its utility-scale solar and battery energy storage development pipeline. The funding comprises a planned NZD 74 million investment from Japan-based construction group Obayashi Corporation and a NZD 100 million lending facility from Australian infrastructure lender InfraDebt. Lightyears says this will support its pipeline of more than 300 MW of utility-scale solar and battery storage projects across New Zealand over the next five years. Under a strategic partnership, Obayashi will take a 90% stake in a newly established company, LYOC1, which will hold solar projects.
Thailand-based Gulf Development Public Company Limited (GULF) has acquired a 50% equity interest in Ubon Wealth 1 Company Limited for approximately THB 107.6 million. Ubon Wealth 1 is developing two ground-mounted solar farms in Thailand with a combined contracted capacity of 90 MW. It includes 40 MW Ban Khi Lek 1 and 50 MW Nok Ten 1 solar power projects. Both have secured 25-year PPAs with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) under the country’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme. They are scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2029 at an electricity purchase tariff of THB 2.1579/kWh. GULF made the investment through its wholly owned subsidiary Gulf Renewable Energy Company Limited (GRE), which acquired the stake from Ubon Bio Agricultural Company Limited (UBA). Following the transaction, both GRE and UBA will hold equal ownership in Ubon Wealth 1.