KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity (SESB) is mulling legal action against an online portal for alleging the utility company was involved in corruption over the multi-million Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) project.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau identified the website as the “Malaysia Corporate”, saying the owner has 14 days to correct the allegations thrown against the company and him.
“Whoever you are, don’t throw stones and hide your hand ... come out and tell it to our face,” he said, after the company’s rebranding ceremony here on Friday (Oct 25).
“If you don't correct what you wrote there, especially the previous accusation against me that I received bribes and such, we will take action, I'm giving them 14 days,” added the Tuaran MP.
Last week, Tangau said the contract for the BESS project was awarded to a peninsula-based firm following a thorough selection process.
He said that Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is responsible for final decisions on projects exceeding RM100mil, adding the awarding of the BESS project was “out of SESB’s hands.”
The tender, he said, attracted 21 companies to its briefing, with six submitting bids, including one from Sabah.
He said the meticulous eight-month tender process began in January last year and concluded with the issuance in November.
Tangau was responding to Parti Warisan vice president Datuk Junz Wong, who had called for transparency over the awarding of the project.
Wong questioned the project's awarding process and the implications for consumer electricity bills in a recent video.
He also called for the release of evaluation reports on the tender, arguing consumer costs and public interest.
On September 11, SESB CEO Mohd Yaakob Jaafar announced the development of the 100MW BESS project in Lahad Datu, anticipated to be Southeast Asia’s largest upon completion by June 30, 2025.
It aims to boost the Sabah Grid's reserve margin capacity during peak periods and support solar energy expansion.
Seal Incorporated Bhd’s associate MSR Green Energy Sdn Bhd (MSRGE) reportedly accepted a RM645mil SESB contract for the BESS construction, as per a Bernama report on September 13.
