JLand Group (JLG), Johor Corporation’s real estate and infrastructure arm, and Cenergi SEA Berhad (Cenergi), a subsidiary of UEM Group Berhad have entered a joint venture partnership to undertake a RM 140 million investment for deployment of rooftop solar and energy efficiency solutions to commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers across JLG’s industrial parks in Johor, spanning a total of 11,069 acres.

In this strategic partnership, JLG and Cenergi will jointly undertake investments, installations, operations, and maintenance of rooftop solar and energy efficiency solutions. The first phase investments are expected to contribute approximately 13,000 MWh green electricity generation and 8,000 tons carbon emission reduction per year by the C&I consumers.

“Given sharpened industry expectations, we recognise that alliances are crucial for delivering new value and long-term returns through JLG’s real estate and infrastructure ecosystem. Our partnership with Cenergi further advances our mobilisation of resources and solutions within the Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) portfolio for our industrial parks,” said Datuk Sr Akmal Ahmad, Director, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Johor Corporation and Deputy Chairman, JLG.

“In providing greater accessibility to on-site sustainable energy solutions via zero Capex model, JLG seeks to support its tenants towards the industrial sector’s aspirations for sustainable growth, while meeting the needful requirements as responsible businesses. We remain committed to ensuring best-in-industry practices for our tenants to optimise their operational competencies at our industrial parks – namely Senai Industrial Park, Tebrau Industrial Park, Pasir Gudang Industrial Park and Tanjung Langsat Industrial Park,” added Datuk Sr Akmal.

Cenergi Group CEO, Hairol Azizi Tajudin said “The rooftop solar solutions will help factory owners and businesses at the industrial parks to save up to 30% of electricity cost, while energy efficiency solutions would potentially give another 10% to 20% savings.  Businesses will be able to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and achieve optimum level of Building Energy Index (BEI), complying with new requirements of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) 2023. This is a step in the right direction as Malaysia is transitioning to net zero emissions as early as 2050.”

The rooftop solar systems will be developed under Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Self-Consumption (SELCO) schemes, which are among the initiatives by the Government to achieve the target of 31% Renewable Energy (RE) in the national energy mix by 2025.  Industrial clusters, especially those involved in heavy industries are known to account for a significant portion of global carbon dioxide emissions, thereby resulting in growing efforts for industrial players to implement emission reductions.

Accessibility and affordability are set to increase exponentially, as predicted by McKinsey’s 2030 solar capacity projections which value 30 times higher than 2006 projections. McKinsey further estimates that by 2026, global RE capacity will increase more than 80% from 2020 levels, of which two-thirds will be contributed by solar and wind energy with an increase of 150% (3,404 GW).