SARAWAK has identified several selected rivers statewide as locations for constructing new hydroelectric dams using the cascading design other than Sg Tutoh.
Deputy State Minister for Energy and Environmental Datuk Hazland Abang Hipni said these selected rivers have been found to be “safe locations” for hydro-dams.
Speaking at the Borneo Environment Conference in Kuching, he said state electricity supplier Sarawak Energy Bhd is already working on the technical aspects of the impending cascading hydro-dams.
“This cascading design is safe for Sarawak…We have identified several selected rivers where such cascading dams can be constructed safely.
“Sarawak Energy Bhd will be adopting suitable construction methods,” he said.
Sarawak Energy is working on the technical aspects of such dams.
Hazland added that there are similar designs used by other countries for their cascading dams in other parts of the world.
He said that the cascading dams will help Sarawak venture into green hydrogen production.
On October 28, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg announced that the state has already identified Sg Tutoh, situated in the remote reaches of Baram district in interior northern Sarawak, as a likely site.
He said the state will proceed to build the Tutoh Dam as the “local natives of Baram themselves” are keen on the dam project.
Johari noted that the cascading dam will not only produce electricity for locals, but also for export to neighbouring countries.
The Sg Tutoh dam, he said, will be based on a multi-layer design where turbines can be built on top of each other like a waterfall.
Environmental watchdog group Save Rivers Network had earlier slammed Johari for wanting to revive more hydroelectric dam projects in rural Sarawak.
Network chairman Peter Kallang told The Vibes that social and environmental problems in rural Sarawak caused by the construction of mega-dams in the past have yet to be resolved.
“Sarawak has already constructed numerous big dams before.
“Those projects have resulted in a severe impact on the environment, which can be felt even until now.”
Currently, Sarawak has four huge hydro-dams: the Bakun Dam and the Murum Dam, both in the central region, and the Batang Ai Dam and the Bengoh Dam, both in the north. – The Vibes, November 16, 2023
