KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd is looking to further increase the amount of electricity imported from Sarawak as part of efforts to strengthen its reserve margin and grid stability.
Its chief executive officer Datuk Yaakob Jaafar said the interconnection, officially inaugurated today, has already delivered tangible benefits to Sabah’s power system since operations began on Dec 13 last year.
“With the addition of 50 megawatts of supply from Sarawak, we have been able to strengthen our reserve margin and grid stability,” he told reporters when met at the officiating ceremony of the Energisation of the Sarawak-Sabah Power Grid Interconnection Project held at the Sabah International Convention Centre here today (Jan 24).
Yaakob also thanked Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) for its strong collaboration on the project, noting that it was the culmination of a long and challenging journey that started in 2021 with the signing of the Power Exchange and Interconnection Agreement between Sabah Electricity and SEB.
“This is a collaboration between two neighbouring states and two friendly utilities. Although the journey was challenging, especially on the Sarawak side, Sabah has been able to feel the benefits since the interconnection commenced,” he said.
Looking ahead, he said Sabah Electricity is optimistic about expanding cooperation with Sarawak Energy, including increasing import capacity and exploring broader collaboration beyond the ASEAN Power Grid framework.
“We are looking forward to further increasing the capacity that we will import from Sarawak, and at the same time exploring further collaboration together,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Energy Group chief executive officer Datuk Sharbini Suhaili said the successful connection of the two grids marked an important milestone in strengthening long-term cooperation between Sarawak and Sabah.
“On Dec 13 last year, we were able to connect the Sarawak and Sabah grids, and we will continue to enhance cooperation between the two states,” he said, adding that both utilities have long worked together across various areas and initiatives and will continue to do so in the future.
Commenting on Sabah’s current power supply situation, Yaakob said the state’s reserve margin has shown steady improvement even prior to the interconnection.
“Last year, our reserve margin was around four to five per cent. Through battery energy storage systems and several generation projects, we increased it to 14 per cent,” he said.
He added that with continued support from Sarawak Energy through the interconnection, Sabah expects further improvements.
“With the addition of Sarawak Energy, we will be able to increase our reserve margin again. God willing, within the next two years, we aim to reach 22 per cent,” he said, adding that the collaboration between Sarawak Energy and Sabah Electricity has played a key role in stabilising Sabah’s reserve margin.
