Abdul Nasser during a visit to a transmission tower at Kampung Minintod in Penampang.
KOTA KINABALU(Sept 24): Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has implemented various initiatives and mitigation measures to reduce power outages during natural disasters.
Continuous improvements will also be made as there are new flood areas along with new methods that can be implemented to reduce the impact on consumers.
Among the initiatives that have been implemented are monitoring and periodic maintenance work as well as the provision of mobile power generators, especially in areas that are often hit by floods.
SESB chief executive officer Datuk Ir Abdul Nasser Bin Abdul Wahid said this during a follow-up visit to the flood site in Kampung Sugud and the transmission tower site at Kampung Minintod in Penampang on Friday.
SESB estimates a loss of millions of ringgit due to the damage caused by floods and continuous heavy rains which damaged the slopes of the transmission tower poles, the poles of electricity distribution lines and power substations in the villages involved.
However, SESB has successfully implemented initial interim mitigation measures on more than 50 towers and has managed to re-supply electricity to almost all consumers in the affected villages as soon as possible.
“There is no doubt that there are places that need more time to be repaired due to unavoidable constraints such as the difficulty of the technical team to enter the location due to impassable roads and unsafe conditions to do repair work,” he said.
Abdul Nasser informed that electric poles and small substations which are mostly on the shoulder of the road are often affected by natural disasters such as floods and landslides.
“Trees that fell due to landslides will hit poles and cables. Those trees that are swept away by the heavy floods will also damage the small substations and equipment in them,” he said.
He explained that more than 100 division lines and two small power substations on the road shoulder were badly damaged. In addition, more than 50 transmission towers have also been affected by landslide due to bad weather that hit several areas in the west coast of Sabah over the past two weeks.
Commenting on the power transmission tower in Kampung Maang, Penampang, he said SESB had carried out appropriate interim measures to reduce erosion due to prolonged rains.
Abdul Nasser also said that for the high-risk tower poles, SESB together with the appointed consultants and contractors had started carrying out rehabilitation and slope stabilization work.
“SESB also seeks the cooperation of the community not to spread untrue news that we will carry out large scale electricity supply cut. Such news is not correct as SESB always has an mitigation plan to continue supplying electricity. Such false news will only give cause panic,” he added.
Consumers are advised to immediately report broken electrical wires, fallen poles and power lines to SESB Careline 15454 or 088-515000 or WhatsApp 019-852 5427.