Kota Kinabalu: Electricity rationing is underway in Sabah and Labuan due to the emergency shutdown of an independent power station.
The Sabah electricity company SESB said only 967 megawatts (MW) of power would be available compared to the peak demand of 1,001MW recorded at 7pm Saturday night.
It said that 15.5pc of users will be affected by the load shedding at any given time, conducted on a rotational basis in the affected areas.
The areas affected in Sabah include Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Kuala Penyu, Tenom, Sipitang, Nabawan, Tawau, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Beluran, and Kundasang.
SPONSORED CONTENT Sabah revenue hits RM6.97 billion: Hajiji says GRS State Government may see full term Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year. Read more “Each round of load shedding will take two to three hours, and the scheduled interruptions will be carried out from 2pm to 4pm and from 6pm to 8pm,” SESB said.
Meanwhile, SESB hopes the “Southern Link” project, which would complete the Sabah State Grid, would be implemented next year.
Chief Executive Officer of SESB, Ir Ts Mohd Yaakob Hj Jaafar, said the implementation of the project was very important following the emergency incident involving two transmission line towers T194 and T300 in Ranau which needed to be repaired immediately due to structural damage.
Currently, the only 275kV transmission line that connects the East Coast of Sabah with the West Coast is through the 275kV Kolopis-Segaliud transmission line.
According to him, the implementation of the Southern Link project will involve the construction of a 330km long transmission line starting from Sipitang to Tenom and then to Kalabakan and Tawau.
If the project is approved, it is expected to be completed in 2030 and is very critical because approximately 200MW of electricity needs in the East Coast is highly dependent on the West Coast/
Mohd Yaakob said SESB is still waiting for the Government’s final decision on the implementation of the project.
Serious damage on two existing transmission towers here was dealt with immediately by SESB by installing Emergency Restoration System (ERS) diversion towers.
The installation of the ERS is in collaboration with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the Sabah Government and is expected to be completed earlier on March 20, 2024.
He added that the cost of the ERS installation costs about RM6 million.
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