Hot weather: Power rationing being implemented in Sabah due to high demand

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) had to implement power rationing in several districts to stabilise the state’s electricity grid system due to high demand during the current hot weather.

In a statement on Tuesday (May 2), SESB said the power rationing was also carried out to prevent the entire state from experiencing supply disruptions.

It said that the average demand for electricity supply during peak hours in Sabah was around 970 megawatts (MW), but the state recorded the highest demand for this year on April 26 at 1,029 MW.

"The current hot weather has indirectly increased the demand for electricity supply. Sabah’s electricity generation capacity is generally sufficient to meet demand.

"However, some power generation plants have recently experienced unforeseen problems, preventing them from generating enough electricity to meet the demands of the Sabah (electricity) grid," said the statement.

According to the statement, on April 12, an independent power plant (IPP) with a capacity of 100MW experienced an unexpected breakdown, forcing SESB to carry out power rationing.

The plant resumed operations the following day after the damage was rectified, it added.

Rationing of between 40MW and 60MW was carried out on April 27 and 28 due to unforeseen technical problems experienced by SESB-owned and independent power stations, resulting in the loss of nearly 64 MW of generation capacity.

Meanwhile, SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar, in the same statement, said the company is in discussions with the Energy Commission to address the issue of a lack of power reserve margin by adding new power plants in Sabah and Labuan.

"SESB is currently in the process of upgrading the electricity supply system in the state and various efforts have been and are being implemented with some of them in the process of obtaining stakeholder approval," he said.

Mohd Yaakob said SESB understands the difficulties encountered by consumers, but at the same time he hoped that the public would comprehend the constraints faced by the company.

Consumers with questions regarding electricity supply issues should contact SESB Careline at 15454, 088-515000, or the WhatsApp application at 019-852 5427, in addition to the mySESB app. - Bernama