GUANGZHOU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), has started building its first solar plant in Malaysia.

Construction of the 50,000-kw plant in Kedah state started in late March, He Yu, chairman of the CGN board, said on Monday.

The project is expected to be in operation by March 2019.

As one of China's state nuclear power giants, CGN has significant investment in clean energy.

In 2015, the group signed an equity purchase agreement with Malaysian energy company Edra Global Energy Bhd, leading CGN to become the biggest foreign direct investor in Malaysia.

CGN has overseas new energy plants with a total installed capacity of over 10 million kw.