Photo by SEB shows connection works are underway for Rh Ungi in the Limbang Division. Since 2009, about 18,000 rural homes in the Division have been given access to reliable 24-hour electricity.
KUCHING (June 29): A new distribution system technology known as the Medium Voltage Covered Conductor (MVCC) has been adopted to connect Lawas town under the Limbang division to rural Ba Kelalan, said Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) Group chief executive officer Datu Sharbini Suhaili.
He said by taking into account the area’s harsh geographical conditions, the first phase of the project has commenced and the implementation shall be synchronised with the commissioning of the new Lawas Town Extra High Voltage substation next year.
In a statement issued by SEB, he said MVCC is able to withstand momentary contact with crops or vegetation without causing interruptions and this will help in strengthening supply reliability.
With steady electricity supply by 2023, he said residents can have access to refrigeration as well as modern machinery that can boost productivity.
According to him, there is consistent and continuous effort to ensure SEB is able to provide full electricity coverage for the northern region in the next few years.
“In July 2020, we commissioned our new Kota 2 mini hydro power plant in Lawas, a run-of-river scheme with a total installed capacity of 10.5MW.
“This has boosted our generation capacity and reduced the dependence on diesel power generation in northern Sarawak pending the completion of our Extra High Voltage or EHV transmission projects to connect Limbang and Lawas to our main electrical grid.
“Our team is also enhancing and reinforcing the electrical distribution system in the area,” he said.
While the current restrictions under the nationwide Movement Control Order have presented uncertainties and challenges to safe and timely work progression, he said works in the area are moving under full compliance with the relevant Standard Operating Procedures and stringent in-house Covid-19 precautionary measures.
Meanwhile, SEB in the statement said the communities in Ba Kelalan, located about eight hours from Lawas town by uneven gravel roads and old logging tracks, engage mostly in farming and agricultural activities supplemented by homestay businesses run by locals.
However, due to the distance from the towns, communities are rarely able to market their produce. The lack of electricity also means that the processing of the ‘Adan’ rice and highland salt is either done manually or powered by diesel generators which can only run for limited times.
Utilities Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said the communities in rural Lawas will soon be able to process their produce and sell them in bigger and further away towns.
“Similar planning and implementation of rural electrifications throughout Sarawak are undertaken to achieve full supply coverage state-wide.
“With access to reliable electricity supply, our rural communities will enjoy greater convenience and opportunities for a better standard of living,” he said in the SEB statement.