KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has given its assurance that there is enough capacity to power the Sepanggar Navy Base, amidst concern there could be insufficient electricity supply to keep the high priority facility running, after several power stations in the area were damaged last week.
Its Senior Managing Director (Assets Development), Ir Abdul Nasser Abd Wahid, said stable supply was being channelled to meet the 2.9 Mega Watt (MW) daily demand at the base, through a nearby Main Intake Substation (PMU).
“The Unggun PMU has been fully commissioned since August 12, 2010. The RM34.4 million facility ensures there is enough supply transmitted to the navy base and the surrounding areas,” he said during a media briefing at the substation yesterday.
The state’s sole power provider revealed last Tuesday that a series of incidents had caused long-term malfunction at three independent power producers (IPP) not far from the base.
It was reported that the turbine at Ranhill Powertron I (IPP Teluk Salut) was damaged after an explosion on Monday morning, causing power reduction of 47.5 megawatt in the State’s power grid.
A few hours later, Ranhill Powertron II (IPP Rugading) tripped, further reducing 95 megawatt of supply.
Thirty-eight minutes after the second incident, the ARL Power Station (IPP Malawa) caught fire and another drop of 57.5 megawatt in supply was recorded.
Abdul Nasser noted that the Unggun PMU, of which the allocation was given under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, is part of an ongoing long-term initiative by SESB to strengthen its distribution system around Kota Kinabalu.
He said the initiative, known as Centralised Area Reinforcement (CAR) involved several 66kV PMUs which were upgraded to 132kV in stages.
The project, which started in 2006, was expected to be fully completed by 2028, with the next PMU Damai in line scheduled for completion by 2015.
“This Unggun PMU is unique as it utilises building engineering that allows for optimal land usage. It is also enhanced with high-tech compact equipment such as Gas Insulated System and Gas Insulated Switchgear,” said Nasser.