KOTA KINABALU: The 64MW capability of the Kubota substation is expected to reduce Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s (SESB) need to implement Demand Side Management (DSM) on Large Power Consumers (LPC) in Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
SESB senior general manager (Asset Management) Ahmad Fuad Md Kasim said the substation will begin supplying electricity to the Sabah Network Grid System starting January next year.
“The additional electricity generating capacity is also critical after a generation set with 95MW capacity owned by the Independent Power Producers (IPP) were verified to be seriously damaged on Dec 5, 2012,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
He said the SESB was told the critical maintenance works is expected to take about two to three months.
Thefore, he said SESB was forced to activate DSM on all LPC with their own mobile gensets during peak periods to ensure the stability of the Sabah Network Grid System.
“However, should the implementation (during peak period) still be unable to fully cater to the increasing demand for electricity, power supply rationing during peak periods needs to be carried out.
“Several substations in the process of construction in Sabah are the Kimanis Power 300MW substation, SPR Energy 100MW substation, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) 300MW substation in Lahad Datu and the Geothermal 300MW substation in Tawau,” he said.
According to Ahmad Fuad, these substations will only begin working in stages by the end of 2013 until 2016.
His statement is in reply to the Federation of Sabah Manufacturers’ (FSM) statement published in a local daily on Friday on the problem of power generating capacities in Sabah and Labuan. – Bernama