KOTA KINABALU, 27 September – The Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) remains committed through a comprehensive strategy to resolve the electricity supply-demand gap and ensure long-term energy stability for Sabah's east coast.
This strategy, developed through the support and close collaboration of the State Government, involves critical grid infrastructure development measures and accelerating the implementation of generation projects. This integrated approach is designed to build a more sustainable energy system for Sabah.
Datuk Ir. Abdul Nasser bin Abdul Wahid, Chief Executive Officer of ECoS, emphasised the commitment through joint collaboration to resolve energy supply issues on the east coast through a plan mandated by the Sabah Energy Council chaired by the Chief Minister.
"We are taking a comprehensive approach by implementing various initiatives simultaneously. This includes ensuring immediate interim solutions that have been implemented and are now operational, improving the reliability of existing grid infrastructure, advancing the critical Southern Link transmission project as well as developing power generation projects including from renewable sources. This collaborative effort is implemented to meet immediate needs while building a sustainable energy foundation for the future," said Nasser.
Among the key initiatives providing immediate impact is improving the reliability of the existing East-West Sabah Grid connection operated by Sabah Electricity (SE). This effort is implemented through interventions and lessons learned from recent incidents to prevent recurrence while ensuring high availability levels of existing Diesel and MFO generation plants on the east coast operated by Sabah Electricity and IPPs.
For the medium term, additional power generation will be implemented through a 160MW LNG-based power plant in Tawau, as approved by the Sabah Energy Council last July. This plant serves as an interim solution towards achieving energy sufficiency on the East Coast, targeted for completion by 2028.
For the long term, the development of the 275kV Southern Link transmission line from Sipitang to Tawau is the main focus for completing the backbone of the Sabah Grid system. Currently, Phase 1 (Sipitang to Padas, 60km costing RM200 million) has commenced at the early development stage and is targeted for completion in 2028, while Phase 2 (Padas to Tawau, 270km costing RM1.4 billion) is being actively pursued by the State Government and ECoS to secure federal funding so that this project can be completed on schedule by 2030.
To ensure long-term sustainability, the State Government through ECoS is accelerating the transition to renewable energy through various projects in phases. This involves the immediate completion of approximately 100MW solar projects awarded on the east coast and the development of a 141MW hydroelectric project at Segama River, Lahad Datu (in the feasibility study stage). Upcoming projects involve RFPs for additional solar capacity of 250MW and BESS 200MW/400MWh focused on the east coast, enhancement of bioenergy projects on the east coast as well as 100MW geothermal sources in Tawau. New technologies such as nuclear energy are also being studied for long-term planning.
ECoS together with the Sabah State Government, wishes to emphasise their continued commitment to always strive to improve energy stability on Sabah's east coast and the entire State of Sabah in general.