KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s first 10MWac large scale solar (LSS) plant will commence its commercial operation date (COD) by the end of this month, easing load-shedding for some areas in the state.
In a statement Thursday (Nov 2), Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said that this cooperation with SDK Power Sdn Bhd (SPSB) is a significant development for green and renewable energy in the state.
He said the development of this LSS plant spans about 16ha and the facility will house an impressive array of 24,672 solar panels, collectively harnessing the power from the sun to generate 10MWac of clean electricity.
This will substantially improve Sabah's power grid electricity reserve margin, which currently stands at 12.1%, he said.
“SESB understands the urgency of the situation, and this solar power plant will help to address the frequent load shedding problem due to shortfall in the grid generation capacity,” said Yaakob.
“This will improve our grid's reserve margin during peak load hours," he added.
He said SDK Power Sdn Bhd (SPSB) was among the 10 bidders under the LSS1 and LSS2 scheme that was awarded the contract and signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SESB in August 2021.
In an official visit to the SDK Power LSS plant last Tuesday, Yaakob voiced his enthusiasm for the commercial operation of this solar power project.
He said this 10MWac solar power plant, the largest so far in Sandakan, represents SESB's commitment towards achieving Sabah's renewable energy goals.
Additionally, it symbolises SESB's active role in supporting the nation's agenda in the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), he said.
Highlighting the impact and significance of this development, he said that the remaining nine developers of the LSS1 and LSS2 scheme will also come on stream to Sabah grid in stages until June 2024.
