KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 21) TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd (TNB Genco) is piloting a floating solar panel system at its Nenggiri dam to boost electricity generation by up to 1,000MW, on top of the 300MW power generation capacity from the hydro project.

Anchoring works and site preparations have begun, and both projects are expected to commence operations in 2027, TNB Genco managing director Muhammad Nazri Pazil said at a media briefing. 

“We are allocating extra space [at the Nenggiri hydroelectric plant], with three-quarters reserved for solar and the remaining quarter for other uses,” Muhammad Nazri said.

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TNB Genco is a wholly owned unit of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) (KL:TENAGA).

Last year, then-TNB chief executive officer Datuk Seri Baharin Din announced a RM2 billion investment for the utility group’s floating solar venture. However, the announcement underlined two other hydroelectric plants, namely the 650MW Sungai Perak power station, and the 400MW Kenyir power station in Terengganu.

Speaking to the media here, Muhammad Nazri said the construction of the Nenggiri hydro plant, located in Mukim Ulu Nenggiri, Gua Musang, Kelantan, is now 40% complete. Work started two years ago.

The project is relatively smaller in scale compared to TNB’s previous hydro power plants, with capacity totalling 2,536.1MW excluding Nenggiri.

“Actually, we can do up to 400MW, but it will require a larger reservoir size,” Nazri said. This will need more people indigenous people [Orang Asli] residing there to be relocated, he noted.

“The impact [from] the additional 100MW is not worth it. It was indeed not agreed upon because [it will] displace more people,” he said.

The largest power generation company in Malaysia is also exploring other renewable energy (RE) opportunities including mini hydro.

Potential locations have been determined for cascading hydro plants, which generate electricity through the natural flow of a river - a means of harnessing hydro power while minimising the impact on the surrounding geography. 

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