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LABUAN – State utility firm Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) is expected to appoint a concessionaire to provide electricity to the squatter areas of Sabah and Labuan in an effort to end power theft.
SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the approach was agreed upon by SESB, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, and the Energy Commision.
“This is a new approach agreed upon by SESB, the ministry, and the Energy Commission to resolve rampant power theft in squatter areas.
“We will appoint a concessionaire to channel power supply to these areas,” he said yesterday.
Yaakob said almost 200 squatter colonies exist in Sabah and Labuan, adding that the pilot project will start off in Sandakan, and subsequently expand to Telipok, Kinarut, and Labuan.
The state utility firm claimed to have lost RM114.7 million from 2010 to 2020.
“We will try our best to cover all the squatter colonies in Sabah, especially those gazetted under the Refugee Community Settlement Scheme,” he said. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022