Power rationing only last resort – SESB

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KOTA KINABALU: Despite the electricity shortage due to a faulty generator at one of the Independent Power Producers (IPP) here, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has assured that power rationing would be the last resort.

Its managing director, Ir Abdul Razak Salim, disclosed that currently repair works are being carried out at the affected IPP, which contributes 65 Mega Watt (MW) of power supply to the state.

“The damage to the generator had also affected the Sabah Grid Network System and we are losing at least 30MW from the company’s steam turbine generators. This means we are losing at least 90MW from the overall power generation capacity statewide,” he told reporters yesterday.

Also present at the press conference was SESB Senior General Manager (Asset Management), Ir Ahmad Fuad Md Kasim.

He said SESB is presently doing its level best to restore power supply, and if the situation worsen, then they would have no choice but to implement power rationing in the state.

Abdul Razak added that due to the unexpected damage to one of the the IPP’s generators, SESB had to implement Consumer Load Management (CLM) for large power users (LPC) statewide.

“This include the 64MW Kubota power plant in Tawau that is expected to start operating next month, which we hope would be able to support SESB’s effort to regularize power supply throughout Sabah and minimize the impact on the consumers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Razak explained that the critical maintenance works on the faulty generator would take between two to three months.

Their other immediate proactive efforts is to get the collaboration from large factories to utilize their own power supplies.