RM2bil solar plant in Tasek

IPOH: A RM2bil solar cell encapsulant film manufacturing factory is set to be built in Tasek Industrial Park here, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

The Perak Mentri Besar said the factory is expected to be up and running by the first quarter of 2024.

“The factory is capable of producing 85 million sq metres of solar cell encapsulants.

“The investment will be in a few phases and is expected to reach a production capacity of 300 million sq metres of encapsulants,” he said yesterday.

“About 300 employment opportunities are also expected to be created once the factory is running at full capacity.”

The solar encapsulation layer protects solar cells from external forces to provide long-term reliability and effectiveness.

Saarani had said this after witnessing the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between Zhejiang Sinopont Technology Co Ltd (Sinopont) and Perak Investment Management Centre (InvestPerak) to reinforce cooperation between both parties at Sinopont’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

He is currently on an investment promotion mission in China from Oct 15 to 21.

Saarani said the RM2bil investment made by the company was a testimony to the strong confidence of foreign investors.

“The state government will provide a fast-track approval process through InvestPerak to make the state a conducive place for investors,” he said.

InvestPerak chief executive officer Mohamad Hashim Abdul Ghani said Perak is strategically located at the midpoint between Penang and Selangor, which are two industry powerhouses in Malaysia.

“This will make Perak a favourable location for companies that produce products or provide services for multinational corporations in both states.

“Provided with complete infrastructure, an abundance of natural resources, sufficient high-skilled talents, mature industrial ecosystems, and a competitive cost of doing business, Perak is starting to emerge as one of the focus destinations for new investment,” he added.