Ensure better power supply to rural areas is SESB’s priority

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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has set its priority, which is to ensure better power supply to the rural areas in Sabah.

“We want the rural folks to enjoy similar facilities as the urbanites,” said SESB managing director Ir Abdul Razak Salim.

He stressed that the utility company is always committed in its effort to improve power supply in the state and is working closely with other relevant authorities to ensure its smooth implementation.

“But of course, it will also depend on the allocation and status set by the relevant ministries,” he further explained.

He said SESB has no problem in supplying electricity in the rural areas, but any projects would be based on allocation and studies carried out by the relevant bodies.

Abdul Razak said this in response to the issue at Kampung Labi in Beaufort where villagers have to depend on their own generators for power supply as there is no electricity connection to the area.

“On the problem faced by villagers in Kampung Labi, SESB is still awaiting for the allocation and reference for the implementation of electricity supply project from the Rural Development and Regional Ministry,” he told reporters yesterday.

He said SESB would also be carrying out research soon and would cover every aspect, including its geographical factor and the distance to the area from SESB’s nearest transformer.

He further explained that the development plan for electricity supply facilities in Kampung Labi requires references based on the development status from the Rural Development and Regional Ministry for the installation of generator, transformer and underground cables, or also known as submarine cables.

“We were told that Sungai Padas crosses through the village, but that would not be a problem, provided we are given sufficient allocation to carry out the project and installation of submarine cables, which has successfully been done in many locations statewide.

“SESB also welcomes the local community’s contributions to set up a generator set to overcome power supplies to their village for the time being,” he said.

Recently, villagers voiced out their concerns over the lack of basic facilities in their village, which they claim are far worse compared to other villages.

Apart from the inavailability of power supply to the village, located just a few kilometres away from the Beaufort town, they have also voiced out the fact that they do not have sufficient clean water supply and alternative routes.