KOTA KINABALU: A 100-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) project is set to take off in Sabah's east coast Lahad Datu district and is set to be the largest such facility in South-East Asia.
Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar (pic) said the BESS project will increase the state power grid's generation with a capacity of 100MW and energy storage of 400MWh (megawatt-hour).
He said SESB has received a letter of notification from the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) for the project.
"This project will be carried out with full responsibility and full effort to ensure that it (meets) the targeted period," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 11).
He said the maximum energy storage capacity of 400MWh is what makes the project the largest in the region.
The project will increase Sabah's electricity grid margin reserve capacity at peak times as well as support increasing the capacity of solar energy sources such as Large Scale Solar (LSS).
Yaakob said the project will start this month and is scheduled to be completed on June 30 next year.
The Dam Road substation in Lahad Datu, which is being upgraded, will serve as the injection point for power generated by the BESS project.
"This BESS project will increase the stability of generation (for) the Sabah Grid, contribute to environmental sustainability, and increase the potential generation capacity of renewable energy," Yaakob added.
Lahad Datu was initially identified as the site for a coal power plant but it was stopped by the state government in 2013 following strong public protest.
