Sabah To Boost Power Reserve Margin Address Electricity Shortage

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Extending the viability of existing power plants is one of the proposals by the Energy Commission of Sabah to address the power shortage in the state. (Bernama pic)KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Energy Council has approved a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the power shortage in the state and achieving a sustainable 30% power reserve margin.
At its inaugural meeting today, the council also endorsed feasibility studies on renewable energy sources like wind, geothermal, and low-head submersible hydropower projects to diversify the state’s energy mix.
The meeting was chaired by chief minister Hajiji Noor.
In a statement, the Sabah chief minister’s department said proposals by the Energy Commission of Sabah include extending the viability of existing power plants, purchasing power from biomass plants, and ensuring the completion of ongoing large scale solar projects.
Additionally, the proposals entail procuring power capacity from Sarawak, implementing battery energy storage systems, introducing additional natural gas-fired power plants as transitional fuel, and reviving a geothermal plant.
The statement also highlighted the expected completion of the Sabah Hydropower Development Master Plan, by the end of this year, a move anticipated to bolster the state’s power generation efforts.
In the statement, Hajiji stressed the importance of collective action from all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the council’s plans and initiatives.
He emphasised the government’s dedication to ensuring a sustainable energy future for Sabah through initiatives such as the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Masterplan 2040, launched last September.
According to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s power generation report, the peak load for the Sabah and Labuan power grid reached 1,136 megawatts (MW) at 2.30pm yesterday, with a power reserve margin of 121MW against a power generation capacity of 1,257MW. - FMT

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