KOTA KINABALU: A task force is expected to be formed on Wednesday (May 24) to coordinate and tackle power failure problems in Sabah as the state grapples with electricity supply shortage due to increased demand during the hot spell.
Energy Commission chief executive officer Datuk Razib Dawood (pic) said this special task force will focus on addressing issues such as power failure, unstable supply, as well as balancing demand and supply of electricity.
He said it is also to coordinate the manpower and agencies involved so that everything can be organised, looked into promptly and efficiently, and load shedding prevented wherever possible.
He said the task force will operate round the clock until the power supply situation in Sabah stabilises.
Razib said its members will include representatives from the oil and gas industry such as PETRONAS, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), and the Energy Commission as the regulator that is transitioning into the Energy Commission of Sabah.
“We are also looking at giving incentives to customers who practise energy efficiency or offset the demand load by shifting their power usage during non-peak hours,” he said, adding that the forms of incentive would be brought up for discussion during a meeting on Wednesday.
He explained that power shortages normally occur during peak hours from 11am to 3pm and between 7pm and 9pm.
Razib said the task force members will explore ways to bring the power reserve margin up to a healthy level of 12% or with 120MW in reserve.
He said over the past four days, SESB managed to prevent load shedding operations thansk to reduced demand.
“Normally, the load demand is around 1,060MW but over the weekend, the demand only hit around 800MW and that is why there was no need for load shedding,” he said.
