Sabah Electricity To Implement Three Immediate Measures To Restore Electricity On East Coast

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (Sabah Electricity) will implement three immediate measures to restore power supply to the six affected districts on the east coast of Sabah.

Its chief executive officer, Datuk Mohd Yaakob Jaafar, said the first step would be to create a temporary bypass involving the transmission line from Kimanis to Segaliud.

"We (Sabah Electricity) will carry this out within two days, starting today. During that period, an estimated 70,000 users will be affected during the peak load period, as there will be a shortage of generation capacity on the east coast.

"Before this bypass is completed, we will carry out rotational rationing of electricity supply on the east coast of Sabah during the peak load period,” he told a special media conference here today.

He added that the second step involves the installation of two emergency restoration system towers, as was done in Ranau last year.

"This structure will be installed at the tower number 5 site, which collapsed near Kampung Sarapong, Penampang. The installation of these two towers, expected to take eight days, is to help stabilise supply,” he said.

Mohd Yaakob said the third step is to build a permanent tower in the same area, and this will be done after the installation of the two temporary towers is completed.

"We are hoping for good weather so that we can implement all three measures,” he said.

He said that Sabah Electricity currently divides its grid systems into the "Sandakan Island” and the "Tawau Island” by activating the local power supply stations, including the Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Sandakan and Tawau, but the supply capacity is still limited.

He added that the Sandakan Island involves Kinabatangan and Beluran, while the Tawau Island involves Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.

Earlier, Mohd Yaakob said the electricity supply disruption occurred in Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Semporna after the tower number 5 structure near Kampung Sarapong, Penampang, collapsed due to a landslide.

-- BERNAMA