KUALA LUMPUR: Recent figures released by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) will unnerve its critics.
The statistics, in the form of infographics, summarises SESB’s major accomplishment in uplifting the standard of living of Sabahans by responsibly carrying its role as the sole electric provider for the state.
Power disruptions, the uppermost contentious issue raised by SESB detractors had actually fallen by many folds over the years since the utility company’s inception in 1998.
The electricity interruption, measured by the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), had progressively dropped to 523 minutes last year from 4,030 minutes when it was first tracked in 2006.
SAIDI, calculates the average duration of interruptions experienced by a customer in a year.
Obviously a declining trend reflects improvement and a markedly better improvement at 87 per cent in eight years is no easy feat.
Interestingly, this was accomplished with SESB’s registered customers having doubled to 533,243 in 2014 from 262,696 in 2006.
And during the same period, 20 per cent more of Sabah is electrified as 94 per cent of its rugged terrain has been electrified until last year.
SESB was formally known as Lembaga Letrik Sabah. Upon its privatisation 17 years ago, Tenaga Nasional Bhd owns 80 per cent stake in the company while the remaining by the Sabah government.
“Over the years, TNB has expended a lot of efforts and times to improve SESB’s system supply reliability to what it is today, with more in the pipelines. This runs in the billions,” said an industry source.
Unfortunately, due to a few unfortunate circumstances power outages recurred albeit at a declining trend on annual basis.
“Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili had outlined factors contributing to this problem,” added the source.
Foremost is the thin electricity reserve margin rate during peak hours, followed by electricity theft as well as unstable electricity supply and distribution network.
The source explained that the thin margin was a result on earlier planned generation projects being stalled by lingering objections by certain quarters for coal-fired power plants.
“Long lead time was required to come up with new mitigation plans,” he added.
Ongkili had explained that the construction of the Kimanis power plant consisting of three generator units and the Cash Horse power plant were among the measures taken to increase power supply in the State.
The minister, in defence of SESB, had said that transmission and distribution lines were also faulted by fire, lightning, vegetations, birds and other animals.
SESB was doing its best to reduce incidences of power supply disruptions, added Ongkili. — Bernama