KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Founder Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Founder Group Limited (NASDAQ:FGL) ("Founder Group" or the "Company"), has signed a turn-key EPCC (engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning) contract to build a 1.78 MW-peak rooftop solar system for a client that operates a facility powers shrimp farming and processing plant in Ayer Hitam, Kedah. The contract is valued at approximately RM5.58 million (US$1.37 million).

Malaysia Renewable Energy Acceleration

Malaysia’s renewable energy (RE) sector is undergoing rapid structural growth, driven by national policy initiatives under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which targets 70% RE capacity by 2050. Driven by new market mechanisms: including the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS), the launch of Solar ATAP (Solar Accelerated Transition Action Programme), and upcoming Large-Scale Solar (LSS6) frameworks where expected investment ranging RM13 billion to RM15 billion (USD 3.2 billion to USD3.7 billion).

With national utility tariffs adjusting under Regulatory Period 4 (RP4) and fluctuating Automatic Fuel Adjustments (AFA), energy-intensive businesses are increasingly seeking distributed solar solutions to insulate their bottom line from power cost volatility.

Expanding Footprint in Malaysia's Aquaculture Sector

Securing this contract also marking our second major clean energy project tailored for the agricultural sector, following its first shrimp farm project in Terengganu, and its first to combine an integrated shrimp farm with a processing plant. This facility is engineered to deliver a 25-year operational design life, supplying clean energy directly to its agricultural operations while supporting Malaysia’s broader commercial decarbonization targets.

According to the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, domestic aquaculture produced over 500,000 metric tons valued at approximately US$1 billion in 2023. Under the National Agro-Food Policy 2.0, the government aims to expand aquaculture output to 40% of total fisheries production by 2030, driving significant power requirements across coastal and rural farming facilities.

The adoption of solar energy in commercial aquaculture is rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia. In farming operations, electricity and fuel represent the second-largest controllable expense after feed. Recent regional studies in Brunei and Taiwan demonstrate that rooftop solar can lower aquaculture power costs by as much as 72%, while government-backed solar initiatives in Indonesia achieved up to 50% grid-electricity savings by powering continuous 24/7 pond aeration equipment.

Expanding Service Capabilities: Full-Suite EPCC & AI-Powered O&M

Under the contract, Founder Energy's scope is to manage the complete EPCC, including structural integrity assessments, plus coordination with national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad, TNB to connect the system to the grid, and to comply with the FM Global standard.

Beyond the turnkey EPCC execution, Founder Group in general also provides long-term asset lifecycle management. The Company integrate the Company’s proprietary AI-driven Operations & Maintenance (O&M) technologies. Featuring automated diagnostics, predictive maintenance algorithms, and drone-assisted visual and thermal inspections. Founder Group’s O&M platform autonomously identifies anomalies and detects module defects without human intervention. This ensures uninterrupted system uptime, minimizes performance degradation, and guarantees energy output for high-stakes, 24/7 commercial operations.

CEO Commentary

"Following our entry into aquaculture contract based in Terengganu, this second contract confirms that our solar technology is repeatable and on demand across this sector," said Lee Seng Chi, chief executive officer of Founder Group Limited. "Aquaculture is a non-stop, high demand industry where energy cost efficiency directly safeguards production yield and business continuity. For farm operators, power is not an administrative cost, it is a core operational driver. By deploying solar energy, we are enabling operators to stabilize their energy costs, insulate their margins against tariff volatility, and achieve meaningful sustainable decarbonization. This project further establishes our operational blueprint for how renewable energy can transform traditional food production sectors across Malaysia and the broader region."

In short, Founder Group's expansion into aquaculture sector provides a scalable operational blueprint for commercial aquaculture farms seeking to reduce reliance on grid electricity and diesel power while improving long-term business profitability.

About Founder Group Limited

Founder Group Limited is a pure-play, end-to-end EPCC solutions provider for solar PV facilities in Malaysia. The company’s primary focus is on two key segments: large-scale solar projects and commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects. The company’s mission is to provide customers with innovative solar installation services, promote eco-friendly resources and achieve carbon neutrality.

For more information on the Company, please visit https://www.founderenergy.com.my/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under "Risk Factors" in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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