KOTA KINABALU – Rotational load shedding, which is the reason behind the recent blackouts across Sabah, will continue until July, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
He said utility firm Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) intentionally rationed its supplies to avert the electricity grid from collapse due to the sudden surge in demand as the hot weather persists.
“SESB told me in a briefing that the load shedding will be done until July this year.
“My advice to consumers is to be patient. This is not a blanket blackout. It is just an exercise to ensure SESB stabilises the grid and to avoid any technical damages,” he told reporters when met at SESB’s load despatch centre in Penampang here today.
Intermittent electricity supply disruptions have taken place in several Sabah districts and Labuan since Tuesday, some lasting four to six hours.
SESB has since come under fire from consumers, who are also facing water supply disruptions and have nicknamed the utility firm “Sabah Elektrik Selalu Blackout”.
Shahelmey said power consumption has risen as many are staying indoors and cranking up air conditioners, among others, to stay cool.
Efforts to end rolling blackouts
Shahelmey said 11 mobile generator sets are being utilised to support demand, producing around 4.5MW since May.
He added that 17 more mobile generator sets with the capacity to produce around 8.5MW will come in June.
“This will provide a little relief to electric supply needs in the short-term. SESB also has several long-term measures to end the rotational load shedding.”
Meanwhile, SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar later told media that an additional 30MW will be added to the grid by August, ending the use of the mobile generators.
Still, he said SESB would end the rotational load shedding latest by July when the power generated from the mobile generators is added into the electricity grid.
For the long-term, Yaakob said an additional 30MW coming from the installation of a generator in Tawau and Semporna is completed by August.
The rest are in Sandakan (30MW), Kimanis (20MW) and the commissioning of the hydro dam in Pangi, Tenom (55MW), he added.
Damaged machines in power plants
Yaakob said a load-shedding exercise was done on April 12 after several stations experienced mechanical breakdowns and had to be closed down.
He added that ideally power companies should have a 20% to 30% reserve margin, but there were times SESB experienced a margin of between 0% and 20%.
Meanwhile, he said the rotational load shedding is SESB’s present priority to avoid a total blackout in the state as areas would only experience outages for about two hours at any one time.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor has assured Sabahans that the state government has taken steps to deal with the water and power supply issues.
“The water and electricity are legacy issues that the current state government is taking urgent measures to resolve.
“I hope the rakyat will understand the situation and I call upon detractors not to politicise the matter. This morning, I called up Yaakob to brief me on the immediate measures SESB is taking to deal with the power supply shortage which has burdened many people,” he said in a statement here today.
On water supply, he instructed State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong to take drastic action to rectify the administration of the state water management.
“We have attracted high-impact investors to locate their projects here such as SK Nexilis, Kibing solar glass manufacturer, Linaco and Esteel and we want to see more. We are serious.
“The state has put in place action plans to rectify these issues and with the prime minister’s assurance and commitment to assist Sabah, I am confident that solutions are in sight.” – The Vibes, May 19, 2023
