“Sabah does not own enough power generation assets in the State which are mostly generated by independent power producers ,” said Sindumin Assemblyman, Datuk Yusof Yacob. He stressed the importance of the State in managing its own energy assets rather than relying solely on IPPS to manage them.
According to SESB Chairman, Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, SESB is currently only able to generate and own 20 per cent of the power baseload requirement, while the rest is generated by IPPs before being sold to SESB. Yusof pointed Sabah’s power supply is heavily reliant on IPPS, which increases the risk of outages and supply disruption whenever IPP-owned power plants are undergoing maintenance or faulty infrastructure.
He echoed the SESB Chairman’s views on the need for SESB to develop its capacity to generate baseload power before venturing into renewable energy. “It is high time for the state government to address the power supply issues and develop a plan for a smooth takeover of SESB,” said Yusof. He adds that state-owned IPPs can be managed under EKOS together with local players such as Sabah Energy Corp, Khazanah and SESB.
Moving forward, Yusof also reiterated his call for the revival of the ‘Southern Link’ project which was supposed to be handled by the Federal Ministry of Rural Development but was delayed.