KOTA KINABALU: A special State Assembly sitting has been slated for Jan 3, next year, to pave the way for Sabah to take over regulatory power of the State’s electricity supply.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Prime Minister had, in principle, given the green light for Sabah to take over regulatory control of its electricity supply on Jan 1, 2024.
To meet the timeline, coordination and cooperation from all are crucial so that all issues, particularly the legal process, can be resolved, he said at the steering committee meeting on handing over electricity supply regulatory power to Sabah.
The Chief Minister co-chaired the meeting with Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad at Menara Kinabalu today.
Among the steps required was approval from the Federal Cabinet to invoke and gazette Article 95C of the Federal Constitution to suspend the Electricity Supply Act 1990 (Act 448), Renewable Energy Act 2011 (Act 725) and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011 (Act 726) in Sabah.
“Subsequently, consent from Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong is needed and to be followed by the Lay Order in Parliament that can be tabled after the suspension,” he said.
On the State Government’s part, two bills on the Electricity Supply Enactment and Renewable Energy Enactment, as well as an amendment to the Sabah Energy Commission Enactment 2023 (to include the regulatory function on electricity supply and renewable energy), will be tabled during next year’s special State Assembly sitting.
“We need concurrence from ministries and relevant agencies both at the Federal and State level so that all these processes can be done smoothly, especially in terms of legality and to avoid interruption to the electric supply operations in Sabah,” he said.
