After the recent power disruption following a devastating flood and landslide, the Energy Commission of Sabah said a comprehensive strategy will be put in place to resolve the electricity supply-demand gap and ensure long-term energy stability for Sabah’s east coast.
This involves critical grid infrastructure development measures and accelerating the
implementation of generation projects.
Datuk Ir. Abdul Nasser bin Abdul Wahid, Chief Executive Officer of ECoS, emphasised the
commitment through joint collaboration to resolve energy supply issues on the east coast through a plan mandated by the Sabah Energy Council chaired by the Chief Minister. “This includes ensuring immediate interim solutions that have been implemented and are now operational, improving the reliability of existing grid infrastructure, advancing the critical Southern Link transmission project as well as developing power generation projects including from renewable sources. This collaborative effort is implemented to meet immediate needs while building a sustainable energy foundation for the future,”.
Among the key initiatives providing immediate impact is improving the reliability of the
existing East-West Sabah Grid connection operated by Sabah Electricity (SE). This effort is
implemented through interventions and lessons learned from recent incidents to prevent
recurrence while ensuring high availability levels of existing Diesel and MFO generation
plants on the east coast operated by Sabah Electricity and IPPs.
For the medium term, additional power generation will be implemented through a 160MW
LNG-based power plant in Tawau, as approved by the Sabah Energy Council last July. This
plant serves as an interim solution towards achieving energy sufficiency on the East Coast,
targeted for completion by 2028.
For the long term, the development of the 275kV Southern Link transmission line from
Sipitang to Tawau is the main focus for completing the backbone of the Sabah Grid system.
