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Daily Express
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Express
New Papar sub-station, meters for Inanam: SE
Published on: Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 25, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: A new substation is coming up along this section of the access road to Kg Kawakahan. SABAH Electricity (SE) has begun building a new substation near a Papar village and is in the midst of processing applications for meters at some low-cost flats in Inanam. This action was prompted by feedback about the power irregularities in Kg Kawakahan, as well as the delay which some occupants of the 'Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR, People's Housing Project)' Kionsom had experienced in having a supply extended to their units. A Papar consumer was under the impression that her village might not be receiving enough electricity as her household appliances had not been operating at their maximum capacity for some time. An Inanam senior citizen, on the other hand, was dismayed to find that there was still no electricity in her flat, more than 10 days after she had applied for a supply. Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the company. A SE spokesman said about 20 per cent of the substation had been completed so far, since construction got underway on May 19. Advertisement 'Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we tentatively hope to finish the remaining 80 per cent of the work by October 16,' he said. 'The nominal level of the voltage to our customers in Kg Kawakahan should increase to around 230volts, once the substation becomes operational.' He explained that a voltage drop was to blame for the electricity woes in this part of the district. 'The existing substation is located about 2.5 kilometres away from the village. It generates between 210V and 215V during the peak period of electricity usage He said the problems in Kg Kawakahan stemmed from the increasing development taking place around Papar. The spokesman said SE had been aware about the irregularities in the village since last year. 'We refurbished the existing transformer and, for a time, the situation seemed to stabilise. 'Later, we carried out a load-shedding exercise and even tried having new overhead lines put in place to service the village.' 'In January, our technicians changed the tapping points for some of these premises to a different phase.' He said each of these strategies did not provide its consumers with lasting improvements. Meanwhile, SE's effort to provide PPR Kionsom occupants with power was partly held up due to the management company's (MC's) failure to complete the 'tagging' at the cabinets prepared for the meters. A SE spokeswoman said the MC was informed that the 'tagging' was still outstanding a whole fortnight before the keys were handed out to the first group of tenants in the middle of June. 'Tagging involves applying labels, tags or seals to the cabinets for identification, security and proper management of the meters,' she said. 'The tags help prevent tampering, ensure accurate billing and facilitate meter maintenance.' She said the oversight involving the tagging was only addressed after some of those who received their keys began grousing about their failure to receive an electricity supply, let alone have meters installed for their units. 'Once the tagging was done, our technicians immediately went in to have meters put in place for those whose applications had been approved. 'In some cases, the processing of these applications was delayed because of incomplete documentation, including the failure to provide signed copies of the tenancy agreements.' A spokesman for DBKK Holdings Sdn Bhd, the MC for the flats, said a miscommunication between the firm and its appointed contractor was to blame for the hold up with the tagging. 'A check of our records shows that, as of June 18, keys had been given out for 43 units whose tenants had paid their deposits,' he said. 'To date, occupational certificates have been issued for about 400 units.' He said PPR Kionsom comprised 1000 units overall, with DBKK Holdings tentatively targeting completion of the remaining flats by August. DBKK Holdings Sdn Bhd is the corporate arm of City Hall. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Largest battery energy storage system provides solar expansion
Published on: Monday, April 28, 2025 Published on: Mon, Apr 28, 2025 Text Size: Terrence and Md Yaakob. SABAH Electricity Chief Executive Officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said they hope to commission our largest battery energy storage system with 400 megawatt hours in two months. 'This storage will provide room for expansion in the solar. So, that is giving flexibility to ECoS to give more room to industry players to bring more solar into the system,' he said. 'Sarawak is only 50 megawatt and 60 megawatt hours, while ours will be 400 megawatt hours,' he said pointing out that Sabah's battery system will be much bigger than neighbouring Sarawak. Mohd Yaakob noted that Sabah's energy landscape has changed tremendously over the years. 'When we started in 1984, there was zero gas power plant. We mainly relied on oil for power generation. Until now we still use about 10 per cent of oil in Sabah. 'Back then, about 32 per cent of Sabah's energy came from renewable sources, mainly the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric station which is still operating today. 'The shift to cleaner energy began in 1998 when they built a natural gas power plant in Sepanggar. 'Even today, we still rely heavily on the gas. We are not saying that gas is renewable, but it is cleaner and most important for now for Sabahans is that it is affordable to our customers,' Yaakob said. Currently, about 90 per cent of Sabah is connected to the power grid. Every day, about 250 megawatts of electricity is transferred across the State, mostly from gas power plants, which Yaakob noted are very cost-effective. While solar is leading Sabah's renewable energy push, they are also developing other clean energy sources, particularly hydropower. Two major projects are in development, the Upper Padas project (187 megawatts) and the Oriole Hydro Padas project in Sipitang (162 megawatts). 'We recently signed a power purchase agreement with Jentayu Sustainables Bhd subsidiary Oriole Hydro Padas Sdn Bhd for its 162MW run-of-river hydropower development,' Yaakob said. 'We are targeting to complete the project by end of 2028,' he said, adding that Sabah Electricity is one of the shareholders also in the consortium for the 162-megawatt runoff river as a plan. 'We are focusing on building and strengthening the grid with the Southern Link Phase 1 to support the Oriole Hydro at 162 megawatts plus the Upper Padas at 187 megawatts. 'We are currently building another highway, 275 KB from Beaufort to Papar, and going towards Kota Kinabalu,' he said. He said the government is also looking into wind energy potential in Kudat. 'Next month, we are going to China looking into that technology. Hopefully, if feasible, then we can have our first wind turbine,' he added. He said geothermal energy is also being considered, though its development depends on how expensive drilling would be. 'We are an off-taker. Frankly speaking, we are not able to pay for any developer without any government assistance. Even to the smallest rooftop. If there is no FIT scheme, we cannot do it,' he said. * 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. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
