Kota Kinabalu: The Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) is stepping up efforts to achieve 100 per cent village electrification in the State, with its focus extending beyond connecting houses to ensuring electricity reaches every community and, ultimately, every household.
ECoS Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ir Abdul Nasser Abdul Wahid said Sabah’s household electrification rate had reached about 96 per cent, while village electrification stood at only about 86 per cent.
This meant about 14 per cent of villages in the State still had no access to electricity, he said.
“We want 100 per cent of villages to have electricity. We want to ensure electricity reaches from the village to the roadside, from the roadside to the house and then the wiring inside the house.
“This is the entire supply chain, the last mile right up to the consumer,” he said during an ECoS Media Session at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru here, Tuesday.
Abdul Nasser said the Sabah Energy Council had established a Sabah Rural Electrification Task Force to coordinate efforts across ministries and agencies, including through cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW).
He said the approach aimed to introduce new interventions and methods rather than relying entirely on existing allocations and programmes.
“This is not just about looking at how many houses have electricity. We need to look at the entire chain to ensure that electricity actually reaches the end user,” he said.
Abdul Nasser said ECoS now had broader regulatory powers following the phased takeover of onshore gas supply regulation from the Energy Commission (ST) in 2023, followed by electricity supply regulation from ST and renewable energy regulation from the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) in 2024 He said the takeover had been implemented in stages since ECoS was established on Jan 10, with the initial phase involving the regulation of onshore gas supply.
ECoS’s regulatory powers now covered four enactments relating to electricity supply, onshore gas, renewable energy and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (Otec), he said.
“From ST and Seda, we have fully taken over the regulatory powers. Now we are two in one. Previously, it was ST and Seda, but now we are one body handling both. This makes things easier for the industry and so on,” he said.
Abdul Nasser said ECoS had three main roles: economic, technical and safety regulation in the electricity and gas sectors.
Economic regulation covered tariffs, electricity costs and subsidy management, while technical regulation involved standards, reliability, efficiency, quality and system sustainability.
“The third is safety. This is important in terms of public safety in the electricity and gas sectors, including electricity and gas consumers as well as third parties who may be exposed to electricity and gas hazards,” he said.
He said ECoS was also implementing 16 strategic initiatives under the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Master Plan 2040 (SE-RAMP 2040) to address challenges in Sabah’s energy sector, guided by the concept of the energy trilemma, which seeks to balance reliability, affordability and sustainability.
“If we want something reliable, perhaps the price will be high. If the price is cheap, it may not be reliable. The other aspect is whether it is sustainable or not.
“So we have to balance all three. That is why it is called the energy trilemma,” he said.
Abdul Nasser said improving electricity supply reliability remained one of ECoS’s main priorities, particularly through reducing the System Average Interruption Duration Index (Saidi).
He acknowledged that Sabah’s Saidi remained higher than the desired level but said improvements would be reflected in performance figures.
“It is true that our Saidi is higher than what we want. But we will show how it is improving,” he said.
He said gas supply was also closely linked to electricity reliability, as disruptions to gas supplies could affect the electricity system.
On the energy transition, Abdul Nasser said ECoS was focusing on moving Sabah towards more sustainable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
“We cannot depend too much on fossil fuels. Their prices fluctuate, subsidies are required and they are limited.
“But renewable energy can be renewed. That is what we need to do, but at the same time we must ensure affordability is maintained,” he said.
On electricity theft, he said ECoS was strengthening its policies, legislation and enforcement to ensure stricter action could serve as a deterrent.
Possible action included imprisonment, deportation and compounds.
“Our concept is deterrence. We want people to understand that electricity theft is not worth it,” he said.
Abdul Nasser said ECoS was also placing emphasis on consumer empowerment through education and awareness programmes to help consumers understand their role in managing electricity consumption and reducing the cost of living.
He said ECoS’s strategy would continue to be reviewed every three to five years to ensure it remained relevant amid changes in the energy sector.
“This is a living document. We will review it within three to five years because circumstances change.
“For now, about 95 per cent remains the same and all 16 strategies and initiatives are moving forward, whether they have been implemented, are being implemented or are in the planning stage,” he said.
