Supply Sarawak power to Sabah and not Indonesia or Brunei

Kota Kinabalu, 30 April 2009: The current load shedding is understood to last until June draws a lot of fury from the people and to make matters worst Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) had admitted it has stop transferring energy to the East Coast via the grid system since several days ago.

And Sabah, the state with most power failures in the country, deserved electricity supply from Bakun dam or Murum dam, both in Sarawak and not Indonesia or Brunei, to address shortages here as well as overcome the problems once and for all.

Luyang Assemblywoman, Melanie Chia said, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should consider electricity either from one of the dam be supplied to Sabah because of the perennial power failures all over the State.

"Sabah deserved such power supply and not Kalimantan or Brunei. It is the best measure to overcome power shortages in Sabah," Chia who is also Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Wanita Chief said in a statement, here, today.

Najib had on April 23 in Jakarta announced that power from Bakun Dam will be supplied to Kalimantan as well as West Malaysia via under water cables.

The Bakun Dam is scheduled to operate in 2011 and the first cable is expected to generate 1,800megaWatt (mW) power from Sarawak to Johor by 2013 and the second cable in 2015.

Neighbouring country, Brunei is expected to receive up to 400mW of electricity by 2013 by way of a transmission line from the 1000 mW Murum dam in Sarawak.

Chia said, the Federal Government have to consider diverting power surplus from Sarawak to the State by way of transmission line.

She said such option is the best way to address power inadequacy all over Sabah because many measures have been taken but power shortages have never been addressed satisfactorily ever since the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

She said adequate and consistence power supply are the main point to attract investments either foreign or local to boost the State's economy.

SESB senior general manager, Peter Lajumin had admitted yesterday that power failures might last until June and not at the end of April as earlier thought, and his statement would make life more harder for the people, in particular, the business sector who have to bear huge losses.

According to Chia, the abrupt stopping of transferring energy to the East Coast is very much regrettable and this add oil to fuel the grudges of the people on the power supply dissatisfaction.

Do not hold us to ransom with coal-fired power plant!

On Lajumin's statement that the most efficient measure to solve Sabah's long standing power woes, is to set up a coal-powered plant but it has met with strong objections, Chia said "The utility company shouldn't hold us to ransom".

She said coal-powered plant would create more problems like damaging the environment and will affect the eco-system, which is increasingly Sabah's asset especially in her promotion on tourism.

She added that the people also feared that the State's heritage, Danum Valley, dubbed the lost world, rich with first class coal deposits would be mined once supplies from Indonesia or China become hard to get or when both countries are unable to supply in the future.

Chia added that the recent load shedding have affected at least 20 per cent areas in Sabah, which have electricity and the situation could not do any good to the economy.

SESB short term measure to address the load shedding by renting 20 generator sets as announced recently, might not be enough even on temporary basis.

According to Chia, blackout struck many parts of the State without notices causing much inconveniences to the people like traffic jams at the affected areas.

She advised SESB to place notices in local dailies so as to inform and let the people be prepared of any load shedding. An advance schedule of notification on load shedding would also help prepare the people in their daily conducts as well as avoiding unnecessarily losses of money and time and also avoid blood pressure rising.

Chia said, electricity supply from Sarawak is very much needed in Sabah because power breakdown is still around even with the completion of the multi million Ringgit East-West grid system.

She also wondered the progress on the disclosure by the Sarawak Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Seri Awang Tengah Awang Ali Hassan late last year that Sabah was holding talks with Sarawak on the purchase of energy from the neighbouring state.

Chia said, the talks showed that there are viable alternatives to the 300 mW coal-fired power plant proposed to be sited in the East Coast costing RM1.3 billion.

She said, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the 80 per cent owner of SESB has not sufficiently considered non-coal options before embarking on the proposed coal power plant in the East Coast.

She added that since solar power, wind power and bio-mass are not yet commercially viable, TNB has a basic duty to the people of Sabah to invest in hydroelectric power and natural gas energy.

She further said that when Sabah Electric Board (SEB) was taken over by TNB in 1998 and become SESB, it was the hope then that the energy situation in the State would be improved.
However, regretfully, the continuous breakdowns of power plants and blackouts still a norm to Malaysians living in Sabah even until today.