With deep concerns, every monsoon season of flash floods, landslides, and other untoward incidents that could occur, national utility company, Tenaga Nasional Berhad said it had carried out regular monthly inspections of all its hydroelectric dams and carried out structural integrity audits.
The dams are also inspected by independent experts from Dam Safety Review which is done every five years in line with the international guidelines of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) where dam experts are appointed to check and assess the condition of the dam’s integrity and related structures. The purpose is to ensure that structures such as spillways, intakes, saddle dams, and so on are functioning properly and firmly and also assess the condition of the dam to ensure its safety and integrity.
According to Ir. Muhamad Nazri Pazil, Managing Director of TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd (TNB Genco), this inspection was carried out carefully by TNB’s wholly-owned subsidiary TNB Genco and based on the Malaysian Dam Safety Management Guidelines (MyDams, 2017). These measures allow the TNB dam to remain intact not only to supply electricity to the National Grid, but also to function as a flood mitigation system and source of water supply for domestic use including clean water. Nazri explained that maintenance practices are improved at TNB dams including Sungai Perak, Kenyir and Cameron Highlands Power Stations especially ahead of the monsoon season.
Following the incident in 2022, a high-voltage transmission tower collapsed due to a landslide after heavy rain. An assessment by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) showed that the Kenyir Dam was found to be functioning well and its physical assessment was categorized as good and safe as per the Report dated August 2022. NRECC recommends that TNB as the dam operator increase the level of routine maintenance to ensure that the Kenyir Dam is always in a good and safe condition.
As a precautionary measure, TNB has installed security sirens around the area near the TNB dam. “Before the monsoon season arrives, the dam’s water level is lowered through controlled release to enable the dam to be able to store a large amount of rainwater.
