Tenaga Nasional Berhad and the Pahang State Government have agreed to safeguard the water catchment area of the Ulu Jelai Hydroelectric Scheme to ensure the operation of the new power station in Cameron Highlands does not affect the ecosystem of the area.
To this effect, the Ulu Jelai Hydroelectric Scheme Agreement, which not only is designed to preserve the area but will also provide income to the Pahang State Government through the use of water resources for electricity generation. Pahang Menteri Besar, Dato ‘Sri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said, there is a special provision in the agreement which ensures that both parties take good care of the catchment area in order to reduce erosion and sedimentation during the operation of the hydrolectric scheme. “The existence of the Lake and Catchment Area Management Committee, or Advisory Committee for Ulu Jelai Power Station, must always be sensitive and manage and conserve this catchment area as well as possible.”
The Ulu Jelai Hydroelectric Scheme, located in Hulu Telom Sub-district, is one of the three largest hydroelectric stations in Cameron Highlands and was built underground to get enough water pressure to run turbines to generate electricity. TNB Chairman Dato Sri Hasan Ariffin said the power station, which was completed in 2016, was designed to respond quickly to the grid system to changes in demand, especially during peak load times with frequency control and its capacity of generating 372 Megawatts.
Like other dams, this hydroelectric scheme not only generates electricity but has a broader function for the state and the people. It is also a strategic asset that serves as flood mitigation, continuous water supply through controlled discharges, in turn being a source of clean water supply as well as irrigation systems. Hydro generation is an initiative towards electricity sustainability.
Ulu Jelai scheme is able to reduce about 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by taking into account the emissions of coal and other fossil fuels during the peak period.
