SABAH ENERGY COUNCIL APPROVES MEASURES TO ENHANCE POWER RESERVE MARGIN

KOTA KINABALU, June 6 (Bernama) -- The Sabah Energy Council (MTS) has approved a series of initiatives aimed at addressing the power shortage in the state and achieving a sustainable 30 per cent power reserve margin.

The MTS inaugural meeting today, chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, also endorsed feasibility studies on renewable energy sources like wind, geothermal, and low-head submersible hydropower projects to diversify the state's energy mix.

The Sabah Chief Minister’s Department in a statement today, said proposals by the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) include extending the viability of existing power plants, purchasing power from biomass plants, and ensuring the completion of ongoing Large Scale Solar (LSS) projects.

Additionally, the proposals entail procuring power capacity from Sarawak, implementing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), introducing additional natural gas-fired power plants as transitional fuel, and reviving the Geothermal plant.

According to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s (SESB) power generation report, the peak load for the Sabah and Labuan power grid yesterday reached 1,136 megawatts (MW) at 2.30 pm, with a power reserve margin of 121 MW against a power generation capacity of 1,257 MW.

The statement highlighted the expected completion of the Sabah Hydropower Development Master Plan by the end of this year, a move anticipated to bolster the state's power generation efforts.

In addition, the State Government is exploring innovative technologies such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) as part of its long-term strategy.

This plan falls under the Sabah Blue Economy Plan, following the recent enactment of the OTEC Enactment 2024 in the Sabah legislative assembly.

Earlier, Hajiji emphasised the government's dedication to ensuring a sustainable energy future for Sabah through initiatives like the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Masterplan 2040 (SE-RAMP-2040), launched on Sept 19 last year.

Hajiji stressed the importance of collective action from all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of these plans and initiatives.

-- BERNAMA