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Kudat

Solar power plant in Sabah, Malaysia. Approximate location 6.915, 116.789.

SolarSabahMalaysiaAssumed PV

Kudat is a 50 MW solar power plant in Sabah, Malaysia. It is operated by Tadau Energy Sdn Bhd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 21k homes (estimated). It ranks #68 of 82 Malaysia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 2.2% of Malaysia's electricity; the national grid averages 602 gCO₂/kWh (20.7% low-carbon) (2025).

50Legacy source-record capacity
21,274homes powered (est.)
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0069738.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKudat WRI
CountryMalaysia · Sabah WRI
Coordinates6.915, 116.789 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity50 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTadau Energy Sdn Bhd [100%] WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyAssumed PV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#68 of 82 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 14 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.55× · 14 MW median · 14 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent21,274 calculated
Climate27.1°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 50 MW, Kudat is well above the median solar plant in Malaysia (14 MW). Technically it is described as Assumed PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Malaysia

Merchang: 66 MW66MerchangJasin: 65 MW65JasinKuala Langat: 50 MW50Kuala Lang…Kudat: 50 MW50KudatGebeng Solar Power Plant: 38 MW38Gebeng Sol…Kuala Lumpur Airport Solar Power Plant: 19 MW19Kuala Lump…Pajam Solar Power Plant: 14 MW14Pajam Sola…Gemas Solar Power Plant: 8 MW8Gemas Sola…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Tadau Energy Sdn Bhd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 6.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.1°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,305cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
48 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 27 °CON: 27 °CND: 26 °CD28 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
1.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
18 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #4 largest solar power plant of 14 in Malaysia by capacity.

Malaysia has 14 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 340 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 6.915, 116.789 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kudat?

Kudat is a 50 MW source-record solar power plant in Sabah, Malaysia, commissioned in 2018.

How many homes can Kudat power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 21,274 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kudat?

Kudat is operated by Tadau Energy Sdn Bhd [100%].

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