Malaysia opens LSS6, its biggest solar tender, with storage now compulsory

Malaysia has formally opened the sixth Large Scale Solar programme (LSS6), and for the first time every project must include battery energy storage. The tender, run by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), offers 2,500 MW of solar capacity paired with 1,250 MW of storage, and is expected to draw RM13 billion to RM15 billion in private investment.

The programme is split into three packages. The largest is open to all bidders and covers 2,200 MW of solar with 1,100 MW of storage. A second package of 300 MW of solar and 150 MW of storage is reserved for Bumiputera companies, and a third 150 MW solar package carries no storage requirement. Request for proposal documents open for the first two packages from 27 July to 7 August 2026, and for the third from 17 to 28 August.

Projects are expected to reach full commercial operation by 31 December 2029. The government estimates the build out will create 15,000 to 20,000 jobs and cut carbon emissions by about 2.6 million tonnes a year. Making storage compulsory is meant to keep the grid stable as a large block of new solar comes online.

LSS6 turns a policy signal into a firm procurement, and it is the clearest sign yet that battery storage is now a standard part of every large solar project in Malaysia. For engineers, developers and asset owners, it points to a wave of grid scale storage work over the next three years.