KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) won the Utility of the Year – Malaysia award at the 10th Asian Power Awards 2014 in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Sjotveit (sixth right) and his management team posing with the Utility of the Year – Malaysia award.
SEB was recognised for transforming itself and for its push for clean and renewable energy in the state over the years.
Its chief executive officer, Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit, received the award from Tim Charlton, editor-in-chief of Asian Power Magazine, organiser of the award – held in conjunction with three-day Asean Power Week, starting Sept 10.
In his speech, Torstein said, “As we aim to become a regional powerhouse in Asean, we acknowledge there is a lot more work to be done, along with bigger responsibilities. The award is a much appreciated acknowledgement of our achievements so far, and I am sure it will drive Sarawak Energy and the people of Sarawak to greater heights.”
Since 2009, SEB has been transforming itself into a modern and agile corporation through branding, organisational restructuring, expanding manpower, and improving customer service.
Over the last four years, sales increased by 70 per cent, manpower was up 50 per cent, reliability to customers improved by 25 per cent, power theft slipped 50 per cent, and rural electricity coverage grew from 65 per cent to 80 per cent.
As the growth catalyst of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) agenda, SEB planned to harness the abundant hydroelectricity resources in the state using international best practices.
SEB projected that by the next five years, residential, retail, and commercial customers in the state would need 2,000MW of electricity, while SCORE customers would need at least 6,000MW.
The state’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to expand five folds by 2030, and about 1.6million jobs would be created in SCORE.