Tuaran: The Sabah Energy Council has approved nearly 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to be generated through several power generation projects to meet the State’s growing energy demands.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the approval, granted as of last month, aligns with the Government’s efforts to ensure that Sabah no longer faces electricity shortages in the future.
He said the initiative has been undertaken since the State Government took over energy regulatory authority from the Federal Government in January last year.
“We received regulatory authority over energy from the Federal Government in January last year, and I serve as the Chairman of the Sabah Energy Council. As of last month, we have approved nearly 1,000MW of energy to be generated.
“This includes the construction of hydroelectric plants as well as the adoption of other methods such as solar and wind turbines, which we have now approved for several local companies,” he said at the Majlis Seikhlas Budi, Sesuci Ramadan event, organised by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with the Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat (UPPM) Sulaman and Mukim Indai Tuaran, at the Kampung Simpangan Open Hall, Wednesday.
Also present were Sabah Electricity Chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Sabah Electricity Chief Executive Officer Ir Ts Mohd Yaakob Jaafar.
Hajiji said if the planned projects are successfully implemented, electricity supply shortages in Sabah are expected to be resolved within the next two to three years.
Commenting further on the current electricity issues in Sabah, Hajiji acknowledged that while there are still disruptions, they are not as severe as those experienced several years ago.
“Although power outages still occur, the demand for electricity has been significantly high in recent years due to the influx of investors who require substantial energy supply.
“But, thanks to the management of Sabah Electricity and the leadership of its Chairman, we have managed to address this issue, and outages are not as frequent as they were in the past,” he said.
Hajiji is confident that Sabah Electricity will be able to overcome the State’s power supply challenges through various initiatives to ensure that consumers do not experience further disruptions.
These initiatives include the implementation of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which Sabah Electricity is currently developing to improve the State’s electricity supply.
On water supply utilities, Hajiji reiterated his confidence that the Government’s ongoing efforts will resolve the State’s water supply issues this year.
He explained that the RM300 million allocation previously provided by the Federal Government is being utilised to upgrade water treatment plant (LRA) capacity across the State.
“In Tuaran alone, the Telibong One and Telibong Two LRAs have been completed and can generate up to 160 million litres per day (MLD) of clean water for consumers in Tuaran and Kota Kinabalu.
“The only remaining task is the pipeline installation project from the Telibong plant to Kota Kinabalu, and I have been informed by the Works Minister that this project is expected to be completed by June.
“Once completed, we believe there will be no more water supply shortages, particularly in Tuaran, the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), parts of Kota Kinabalu and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS),” he said.
At the event, Hajiji also presented zakat contributions to 878 recipients, with 500 receiving aid from Sabah Electricity and the remaining 378 receiving personal contributions from Hajiji.
Masjid At-Taqwa Kampung Simpangan received a RM5,000 zakat contribution from Sabah Electricity.
