KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Energy Council (MTS) at its meeting today has in principle approved energy projects with a total capacity of 723MW to cater for the state’s medium-term electricity demand.Gas-fired power plants in Kimanis and Tawau with a total capacity of 360 MW, as well as renewable energy projects from hydro and wind energy sources producing a total 363 MW capacity were given conditional technical and commercial approval.
Chairing the meeting at Menara Kinabalu, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor emphasised that every decision made by the Council must be done in a balanced and prudent manner.
“This is in line with the state’s economic growth, the needs of the industrial sector and consumers’ ability to bear reasonable energy generation costs.
“I believe that with the commitment and cooperation of all parties, the MTS will continue to serve as the highest platform for coordinating the state’s energy policies in an integrated manner for the well-being of the people of Sabah,” he said.
The Chief Minister also noted several fast-track projects approved during the MTS meetings last year were beginning to bear fruit. Among them was the increase in the power generation reserve margin from 10 per cent in January 2023, before the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) assumed regulatory authority, to 17 per cent currently, and is expected to further increase to 30 per cent by the end of this year.
The MTS-approved fast-track projects had also resulted in a reduction in Sabah’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), from 363 minutes in the first six months of 2023 to 215 minutes in the first six months of 2024, and further down to 162 minutes in the first six months of this year.
Hajiji also called for the empowerment of State Government-linked companies (GLCs) so that they can play a bigger role in the state energy landscape-pr/BNN
