Task force to monitor Sabah’s power supply: Energy Commission
Published on: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
By: Suria Abdullah
“This is to prevent load-shedding. We need to plan in detail to ensure a stable supply and maintain the reserve margin at the green level (which is 12 per cent),” Razib said. - Pic on the right is for illustration only
Kota Kinabalu: A special task force is being set up to address the electricity disruption problem in Sabah.Energy Commission Chief Executive Officer Datuk Razib Dawood said the task force, which will be chaired by the Commission, would consist of members from the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS), Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), independent power producers and other stakeholders in Sabah and Labuan.
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He said the task force would, among others, coordinate issues and solutions during outages, breakdowns of generators or utilities and other related matters.
“This was decided upon as the Energy Commission, together with SESB and other stakeholders, need to find immediate solutions to the continuous power disruptions in Sabah.
“In the task force, we will monitor the balance and supply of electricity as we want to ensure ample reserve margin to ensure continuous power supply to customers.
“This is to prevent load-shedding. We need to plan in detail to ensure a stable supply and maintain the reserve margin at the green level (which is 12 per cent),” he said during a press conference at SESB Load Dispatch Centre in Penampang.
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Also present at the conference were ECoS Director (Industry Operations) Jefrey Nuri and SESB’s Mohd Yaakob Jaafar.
Last week, a series of electricity disruptions occurred, affecting not only residents and commercial properties but also Kota Kinabalu International Airport and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here.
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SESB explained that these disruptions were caused either by unexpected damages to their assets or load-shedding exercises.
Razib said the task force would also announce incentives for consumers who reduce electricity consumption during peak hours between 11am and 3pm, and 7pm and 9pm, as well as compensation for those who use their own generator sets.
“This is an initiative under demand-side management to help reduce electricity consumption and prevent load-shedding.
“The Energy Commission also encourages people to choose energy-efficient appliances that have a five-star rating for the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), among others.”
Meanwhile, Razib said the transition of authority from EC to ECoS is harmonious and according to plan.
He added that there have been training programmes and software handovers to ECoS prior to the State Commission becoming operational on January 1 next year.
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