KUCHING: Twenty-eight households in Kpg Ulu Sungai Sinjan will soon benefit from the state government’s Rural Electricity Supply (RES) Project.
The project, implemented under the Additional or Late Applicants Funds (Alaf) at a total cost of RM540,000, should be completed in the first half of next year.
“The project which is carried out by Sarawak Energy Berhad is aimed at supplying 24-hour electricity to the people,” said Utilities (Electricity Supply)Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi during a ground-breaking ceremony at the village in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Some 91 percent of the rural people already have 24-hour electricity, but 30,400 households or 9 percent still don’t have power supply.
“Our target is to reach full electrification by the year 2025,” said Dr Abdul Rahman.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has approved the Sarawak Rural Electricity Main Plan with an allocation of RM2.37 billion for 2019 and 2020.
“This will increase the rural electricity supply coverage from 91 percent to 97 percent. The implementation strategy is mainly through the RES Project Grid Distribution Connection and RPSS (Rural Power Supply Scheme) Grid Delivery Connection to areas with roads,” he said.
For coastal and remote areas, the government will carry out the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (Sares).
This, according to Dr Abdul Rahman, is in line with the Sarawak Rural Transformation Programme which aims to close the rural-urban development gap.
Also present at the ground-breaking ceremony was Samariang Assemblywoman, Hajah Syarifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, who is also Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Assistant Minister.
