Malaysia Awards 100-MW BESS to Blueleaf, Universal Peak

• Blueleaf Energy–Universal Peak win Malaysia’s first MyBeST tender, building a 100‑MW/400‑MWh BESS by 2027 to stabilize grids, integrate solar, cut peaker reliance—setting the pace for reliability-first storage.

Blueleaf Energy and Universal Peak won Malaysia’s inaugural MyBeST tender, securing a build-own-operate contract for a 100‑MW/400‑MWh battery commissioned in 2027. The consortium was one of four winners from 28 bids. The BESS will deliver frequency regulation, peak shaving and energy shifting to support rising solar and curb reliance on peaker plants.

Blueleaf, owned by Macquarie Asset Management, brings utility-scale experience; Universal Peak adds permitting and execution. Expect containerized, liquid‑cooled packs, EMS and grid‑compliant controls, with potential co-located solar. MyBeST signals a reliability-first market, providing performance data to ease financing and positioning the consortium for follow-on tenders as rules mature.

How will MyBeST’s 100‑MW BESS reshape Malaysia’s solar integration and peaker reliance?

• Shifts midday solar to the evening peak, effectively shaving up to 100 MW of net demand for roughly four hours and easing the “duck curve” ramp
  
• Cuts starts and runtimes of open‑cycle gas turbines by covering short, steep peaks and contingency events, lowering fuel burn and emissions
  
• Provides fast frequency and voltage support that stabilizes a grid with rising variable renewables, reducing the need for thermal plants to hold spinning reserve
  
• Lowers solar curtailment by absorbing midday surplus and relieving local congestion, improving project revenues and enabling higher solar connection quotas
  
• Firms hybrid solar‑storage output to deliver capacity value, helping replace part of peaker capacity with cleaner, dispatchable MWs
  
• Reduces peak power prices and system imbalance costs by injecting during scarcity periods, smoothing volatility for retailers and large customers
  
• Defers some transmission and distribution upgrades at bottlenecks by supplying local peak capacity and inertia-like response
  
• Supplies ride‑through and potential black‑start support, enhancing resilience during grid disturbances and extreme weather
  
• Creates a performance benchmark for Malaysian BESS operations, improving bankability and lowering financing costs for larger follow‑on deployments
• Encourages market rule updates (e.g., pay‑for‑performance ancillary services, capacity accreditation for hybrids) that reward flexibility over peaker availability
• Builds local capability in BESS operations, EMS, and safety, accelerating a domestic supply chain that reduces lifecycle costs and dependence on peakers over time