Photo shows the damage on an aerial cable, said to be caused by a stray bullet.
KUCHING: External fault has been stated as the cause behind the electricity supply interruption, which affected the remote highland community of Bario recently – and not solar battery or fuel-related as concluded in the preliminary investigation conducted by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB).
Based on findings from SEB’s follow-up probe, it is revealed that a stray bullet had damaged an aerial cable at a point about 7km away from the Bario Central solar hybrid power station.
This was uncovered when the technical teams, deployed from Miri, surveyed the line route and it was then that they saw the damaged cable.
This caused initial tripping of the solar power system and during the switchover after that, the standby diesel generators were unable to run continuously as the main switch at the plant continued to trip – before the damaged cable was located and isolated, SEB said in a press statement issued yesterday.
“SEB is now appealing for cooperation from the rural communities to ensure that electrical assets are protected for continued reliable supply throughout Sarawak.
“This is even more crucial as the state-owned energy developer and power utility accelerates its rural electrification projects to deliver the state government’s ambition to achieve full electrification for the ‘rakyat’ (people),” it said.
Commissioned in 2015, the Bario Central solar hybrid power plant was built as part of the federal government’s National Key Results Area (NKRA) under the Ministry of Regional and Rural Development. Upon its completion, the system was handed over to SEB, who now operates the plant.
The facility is designed for a load capacity of 750KW from solar power, while the present demand in Bario is currently 60KW – leaving ample excess capacity to meet demand growth.
The solar batteries are continuously monitored for the impact of ageing over their five-year lifespan. Back-up diesel stock is maintained at about 40,000 litres, or three full tanks, to ensure that there is sufficient stock to meet Bario’s demand for three months.