KUCHING: The proposed Baleh hydroelectric dam, which Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) plans to build to boost its power generation capacity, will have an installed capacity of 1,285 MW.
When fully commissioned, the 188m high concrete face rockfill dam is expected to generate 8,076 Gwh of electricity per year on average, of which 941 MW is firm energy, according to the project’s social and environmental impact assessment (SEIA) report.
The Baleh dam will supply power required for Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) phase 2 development. Under phase 1, energy intensive industries, including aluminium, ferro silicon and manganese alloys smelting plants have been or are being set up in Samalaju Industrial Park, Bintulu.
SEB chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit said the company had received approval for the Baleh SEIA report from state Natural Resources and Environment Board last month.
The report was done by Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd.
Pending formal approval from the Sarawak government, Sjotveit has said SEB hoped to start work on the proposed dam by next year for scheduled completion in 2024.
SEB is currently carrying out land acquisition work to facilitate the construction of a proposed 500kV/275kV substation in Tada, Kanowit. The Baleh dam facility will be connected to SEB’s core 500kV grid by means of a 500kV double circuit transmission line. The proposed transmission line will interconnect with the new substation.
Baleh would generate more power than the 944-MW Murum dam, the first major dam built by SEB. The Murum dam generated its first power recently when one of its four turbines was commissioned. The 2,400-MW Bakun dam developed by Federal Government-owned Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd is the state’s biggest dam.
The Bakun, Murum and proposed Baleh dam are all in the interior of Kapit Division in the central region.
The Baleh SEIA report says the load demand for SCORE is expected to be 2,550 MW while the export power is estimated at 230 MW (to west Kalimantan, Indonesia) in 2020.
SCORE customers can potentially reach 3,700 MW and the export power is estimated at 430 MW by 2025.
Sarawak’s organic demand is projected to increase to 1,450 MW by 2020, and reach 1,950 MW by 2025.
“The total maximium is, therefore, 4,380 MW for 2020, which shall be met by power sources from Bakun, Murum and Balingian (where a 600-MW coal-fired power plant is currently under construction). But this will not be sufficient to meet the demand in 2025 and there is also a necessity for a reserve capacity of 600 MW to ensure power network security.
“The Baleh dam, in addition to the other proposed dams and power stations, will be needed to increase the total generating capacity in the state to 7,000 MW by 2025,” adds the report.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
