Don't protest energy projects: Pangi plant not behind Beaufort floods

Daily Express

17-05-2025

Published on: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Published on: Sat, May 17, 2025
By: Crystal E Hermenegildus Text Size: Yaakob (right) during the interview. Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Electricity Chairman Datuk Seri Madius Tangau said the support of all stakeholders is essential to ensure that efforts to increase the state's power supply can move forward smoothly. He said this is needed to meet the increasing demand, the Energy Commission has, in principle, approved for another run-off river scheme at the Pangi Hydroelectric Power Plant site.
Advertisement He urged the public to avoid protesting or resisting energy projects that are critical to strengthening Sabah's power supply. 'This development (Pangi) could boost power generation to over 400kW (kilowatt), approaching 500kW,' Madius said during the official relaunch of the Pangi Hydroelectric Plant's operations in Tenom on Wednesday. Responding to concerns from the public, especially those in Beaufort, he clarified that the Pangi plant is not the cause of flooding in the district, despite frequent claims. 'We've been briefed that the Pangi plant isn't responsible for the floods in Beaufort, so we hope there won't be any further objections from the local communities,' Madius said.
Advertisement He explained that the flooding and landslide at the plant site in 2022 were partly due to human activities, while the ongoing floods in Beaufort and surrounding areas are unrelated. 'The Pangi plant isn't a dam and doesn't release water, so it doesn't contribute to flooding downstream,' Madius said. With several major projects underway, including the 100MW (megawatt) Battery Energy Storage System in Lahad Datu, the Rental Gas Project in Kimanis, and the Kimanis Power Plant, Madius expressed confidence that Sabah is on track to reach its goal of 20 per cent power reserve by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Sabah is still waiting for Sarawak to complete its part of the much-anticipated Sabah-Sarawak 275kV transmission grid interconnection project, which is essential for both states to move forward with plans to strengthen their power supply systems. Sabah Electricity Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Yaakob Jaafar, said that while Sabah finished its portion of the project last year, Sarawak is currently facing construction delays. 'There are indications that Sarawak aims to complete their side within this year, but based on our assessment, it may take a bit longer,' he said during a visit to the hydroelectric plant in Tenom on Wednesday. Once the entire project is completed, Sabah expects an immediate boost of about 30MW to its power reserves, with the potential to scale up to 300MW. Yaakob also said Sabah is currently preparing a feasibility study for a separate interconnection linking Tawau to North Kalimantan, and consultants have already been appointed for the task. However, he said, a grant initially provided by the United States for this study had been withdrawn due to recent shifts in the US administration. 'We now need to consult with our international partners to determine the best way to move forward with the study,' he said. Yaakob added that a meeting was set to take place in Jakarta on Thursday, led by the Asean Centre for Energy, with participation from Indonesia's Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and Sabah Electricity, to address this and other related issues. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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