U-turn for SESB, TNB over coal plant

Michael Kaung

The federal government's decision to scrap the controversial coal-plant in Lahad datu, Sabah has forced Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd to eat humble pie.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), which had previously insisted that a coal-fired power plant was the only solution to the perennial power supply woes in Sabah, has now come out to fully support the government’s decision to cancel the proposed controversial project in Lahad Datu.


SESB managing director Baharin Din yesterday said Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and SESB had been a party to the continuous discussion and exploration of alternative option to coal in the past year.

“We have been working very closely with Petronas to evaluate feasible power-generation infrastructure, implementation scheduling and costing in the past months.

“We are grateful to the state and federal governments for their commitment to assist us achieve our goal in providing a secure power supply on the east coast of Sabah,” he said.

On the southern interconnecting grid, Baharin said that it is a important component of the utility company’s grid strengthening plan.

However, he reckoned that for the grid to be truly meaningful, it has to be enabled to secure and transfer power from both side of the coasts.

At a crossroad

Meanwhile, WWF-Malaysia also welcomed the federal and state governments’ decision to scrap the proposed controversial coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu on Sabah’s east coast.

“WWF-Malaysia is grateful particularly to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman for being cognizant of the irrevocable environmental damage that the proposed plant would have caused,” its chief executive officer Dr Dionysius Sharma said yesterday.

According to him, Malaysia is at the crossroads of meeting the nation’s energy needs and fulfilling its commitment to sustainable development.

Sharma said the way forward is to view energy development at a macro-level and develop a long- term comprehensive energy blueprint for the country.

Additionally, he said, WWF-Malaysia was encouraged that public opinion on the proposed plant had prevailed on decision makers.