POKOK SENA (Jan 17): Works to construct Kedah's first large-scale solar photovoltaic plant in Kampung Bendang Perang here, is expected to start end of this month and completed in the third quarter of this year.

The plant, which sits on 8.9 hectares of land is expected to begin operation end of September.

According to Jentayu Solar Sdn Bhd executive director Tunku Datin Myra Madihah Tunku Mudzaffar, 27,000 solar panels and 84 inverters would be used for the plant.

"It is estimated that the plant will generate as much as 12,454 megawatt of electricity throughout its 21-year concession period, enough to provide electricity to over 500,000 housing units in Pokok Sena area.

"This solar project will reduce greeenhouse gases. The system will be connected to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) substation, located about seven kilometres from the plant," she said during the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the construction of the solar plant, today.

Jentayu Solar is the developer of the project.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir was also present during the ground-breaking ceremony along with Tunku Temenggong Kedah Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz Sultan Abdul Halim, Raja Puan Muda Perak Tunku Soraya Sultan Abdul Halim and other Jentayu Solar shareholders.

Tunku Myra Madihah said the company selected Kedah for the solar farm as it is better suited compared to other states.

"After Perlis, Kedah had been reported to register higher irradiation levels than the remaining states in Peninsular.

"Given the limited amount of land in Perlis, it is only natural for investors to focus on Kedah as the next viable option to develop solar farm," she said, adding that the project would create 150 job opportunities for the locals.