Sabah’s Power Supply Planning Needs Overhaul, states LDP Vice President

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs better planning for power supply to address frequent disruptions and rationing, according to a leader from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Vice president Sim Fui criticized the Federal Energy Commission and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) for poor planning, resulting in the ongoing power rationing in Sabah.

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Sim highlighted the huge disparity in power generation capacity, where Sabah only has 1,080 megawatts (MW) while Peninsular Malaysia has 25,962MW and Sarawak has 5,996MW.

The shutdown of the Tenom Pangi dam and technical problems faced by independent power producers worsened the situation.

In June, power shortages and rationing occurred due to Sabah’s electricity demand exceeding capacity.

“This is completely unacceptable as electricity is a basic necessity,” said Sim.

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The recent power supply agreement with SK Nexilis, a South Korean firm, was seen as positive news for the industry in Sabah.

However, Sim raised concerns about SESB’s ability to generate sufficient power in the future, considering the ongoing state development.

He highlighted upcoming projects, such as the RM2bil Kibing Solar glass factory and ESteel’s RM19bil investment in Sipitant.

“Did the Energy Commission and SESB anticipate the upcoming demand for electric vehicles in the state?” questioned Sim.

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Sim urged SESB and the Energy Commission to share their power generation plan for the next five years, including plans for adopting green energy, with the public.

“We must prioritize green energy, such as solar, mini hydro, and biogas, for future power generation in Sabah to comply with sustainability requirements. Diesel and coal should be left behind,” said Sim.

He suggested that the more than 130 palm oil mills in Sabah invest in biogas green energy, which could potentially supply the SESB grid with more than 260MW.

Sim also welcomed the return of power generation authority to the state through the Energy Commission Sabah (ECoS).