NINGDE, China, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oriental Rise Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: ORIS) (“Oriental Rise” or the “Company”), an integrated tea supplier in mainland China, today announced that its operating subsidiary Fujian Mindong Hong Tea Industry Technology Co., Ltd. (“Mindong Hong”) has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Shandong Yiyang Zhongji New Energy Co., Ltd. (“Zhongji New Energy”), a renewable energy developer, to explore the deployment of solar photovoltaic power generation systems within the Company’s tea plantation bases.

The collaboration is designed to evaluate the integration of agriculture and renewable energy infrastructure, a model often referred to as “agro-photovoltaic” development, which enables solar power generation while maintaining agricultural cultivation activities.

Under the cooperation framework, Zhongji New Energy intends to develop distributed solar photovoltaic systems within designated areas of Oriental Rise’s tea plantations. The project is expected to leverage unused or underutilized areas within the Company’s tea plantations to generate renewable electricity while preserving tea cultivation operations. Oriental Rise will provide coordination support and assist with project implementation, while Zhongji New Energy will be responsible for project investment, construction, and operation.

China has increasingly promoted renewable energy development across agricultural environments, particularly through solar installations integrated with farmland and plantation operations. Oriental Rise believes the collaboration may create an opportunity to unlock additional economic value from existing plantation assets, while contributing to broader environmental sustainability initiatives.

According to the cooperation framework, the proposed photovoltaic development within the Company’s tea plantation areas has a planned installed capacity of approximately 50 megawatts (MW) and an estimated total investment of approximately RMB165 million, subject to regulatory approvals and project planning processes.

The project is expected to follow a structure under which Zhongji New Energy installs and operates photovoltaic systems while utilizing certain plantation areas under a long-term lease arrangement. The cooperation framework contemplates a lease term of approximately 20 years, with a potential automatic five-year extension upon expiration, subject to applicable industry practices and project conditions.

Oriental Rise believes that integrating renewable energy infrastructure with its tea plantation operations aligns with the Company’s broader strategy of strengthening operational efficiency while exploring complementary value-creation opportunities around its core agricultural assets.

“Our tea gardens in Zherong County provide a strong foundation for premium tea cultivation,” said Mr. Dezhi Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Oriental Rise. “We believe exploring renewable energy integration within our plantation areas represents a constructive step toward enhancing the long-term sustainability and utilization of our agricultural infrastructure while maintaining our primary focus on tea production and product innovation.”

Management noted that the cooperation agreement establishes a strategic framework for evaluating the project, and any future development will be subject to regulatory approvals, technical feasibility assessments, and the execution of additional definitive agreements if appropriate.

About Shandong Yiyang Zhongji New Energy Co., Ltd.

Shandong Yiyang Zhongji New Energy Co., Ltd. is engaged in the investment, development, and operation of solar photovoltaic power generation projects and provides renewable energy solutions across agricultural, industrial, and infrastructure applications.

About Oriental Rise Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: ORIS)

Oriental Rise Holdings Limited is an integrated supplier of tea products in mainland China. Our major tea products include (i) primarily-processed tea consisting of white tea and black tea, and (ii) refined white tea and black tea. Our business operations are vertically integrated, covering cultivation, processing of tea leaves and the sale of tea products to tea business operators (such as wholesale distributors) and end-user retail customers in mainland China. We operate tea gardens located in Zherong County, Ningde City in Fujian Province of mainland China. For more information, please visit the Company's website at https://ir.mdhtea.cn/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential development, implementation, and benefits of renewable energy initiatives, the anticipated scope and structure of the cooperation framework described in this announcement, and the Company’s plans and expectations with respect to integrating renewable energy solutions within its operations.

Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure investors that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Oriental Rise Holdings Limited
Investor Relations Department
Email: [email protected]