Major blackouts in Malaysia

June 29 1985 

· A sudden 600-megawatt load loss tripped transmission lines on the East Coast caused a wide blackout for several hours in 11 states. 

· The trip occurred at 1.37pm on two lines between Paka, Terengganu and Kampung Awah, Pahang and tripped all power stations connected to the national grid. 

· The blackout hit during lunch-time causing chaos in major towns.  

The remedies 

· Review the effectiveness of preventive, “load shedding” schemes. 

· Port Klang power plant to provide power security. 

· The construction of 275 kilovolt (kv) transmission line from Paka, Terengganu to Tanah Merah, Kelantan in 1986, makes available an alternative route for dispatching power to the grid from major plants in Paka and Kenyir, Terengganu. 

July 31, 1992 

· A bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm stuck a grid comprising four power lines between Paka and Teluk Kalong in Terengganu, causing massive power failure in the peninsula at 3pm. 

· Fifteen power stations on the west coast were put out of action. 

· This grid was one of two supplying power to the west coast and the resultant overload caused the 1,000mw Paka power station to trip. 

· Power was restored between six to ten hours in most states. 

The remedies 

· TNB to erect an alternative transmission line between Terengganu and the south of the peninsula. 

· TNB to improve its protection system in the power transmission system and that TNB should allocate 30% spare capacity at any one time in its power generation system. At this time, there is only 10%. 

· TNB to provide portable power stations in densely populated areas to ensure supply. 

Aug 3, 1996 

· A transmission line near Paka Power tripped at 5.17pm causing all power stations in Peninsular Malaysia to collapse resulting in a massive power failure. 

· The cascading effect of the trip shut down supply in sequence at all power stations.  

· Supply was black to normal by 11pm at Paka and Dungun in Terengganu, Kalumpang and Rawang in Selangor, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur and Damansara in Petaling Jaya. 

The remedies 

· TNB recommended that dependence on power generated from these stations be reduced to lower the risk of major system failure. 

· TNB was expected to spend between RM50mil to RM100mil per year in the next five years to improve reliability and security of nation’s electricity distribution.