With this open-cycle gas turbine, NUR Power – the nation’s first independent power utility company with the exclusive rights to provide electricity generation, grid and distribution services at KHTP – will generate up to 90MW of power, in addition to its existing generation capacity of 220MW.
“Large-scale and high-tech investments, such as those by Infineon Technologies AG, can only be realised with a consistent, stable, and reliable power supply to support their operations.
“The energy infrastructure provided by NUR Power has enabled uninterrupted operations and ensured more efficient production,” he said when launching the plant.
Also present were Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor and state exco Haim Hilman Abdullah.
KHTP has recorded increasing electricity demand since 2022, driven primarily by the global surge in demand for semiconductors and solar energy, prompting several existing customers to ramp up production.
Additionally, some existing customers are upgrading their supply connection facilities from 33kV to 132kV connections to enable higher energy intake and meet production needs in the coming years.
In a statement, NUR Power said it has taken proactive steps through targeted, high-tech investments, and anticipates that electricity demand will reach 612MW by the end of 2033, driven by KHTP’s rapid growth.
The company’s investments in energy generation infrastructure to date include a 130MW combined-cycle gas turbine power station expected to be completed by 2025, as well as Phase 1 and Phase 2 utility-scale solar farms, which will generate a total of 100MW and be completed in 2025 and 2027 respectively.
Meeting energy needs
Meanwhile, Fadillah, who is energy transition and water transformation minister, also congratulated NUR Power’s management for successfully implementing this initiative in a short period to meet energy needs in line with KHTP’s rapid development.
Following the launch, Fadillah also witnessed an official agreement exchange between NUR Power and UEM Lestra Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary and green industry arm of UEM Group Bhd, which will see UEM Lestra acquiring up to a 51% stake in NUR Power.
UEM Lestra CEO Harman Faiz Habib Muhamad said UEM Lestra’s strategic involvement as a GLC through this majority stake is driven by the potential for substantial value creation leveraging NUR Power’s established operational strengths.
“This acquisition of a majority stake in NUR Power is a pivotal element of UEM Lestra’s RM1.5 billion pledge to be deployed over the next 24 months to advance the decarbonisation of industrial parks in Malaysia.
“This commitment aligns with UEM Group’s domestic investment agenda, which aims to create new job opportunities and attract more foreign investment into the country,” he said.
NUR Power managing director Ikwan Hafiz Jamaludin said the company’s distributed generation model has successfully attracted investments exceeding RM176.7 billion at KHTP.
“NUR Power is dedicated to continuously expanding its generation capacity to meet the electricity demand at KHTP, ensuring power quality is maintained in accordance with MS61000-4-34 standards as required by customers, particularly in high-tech industries,” he said.