KUCHING: A solar hybrid station at Long San, an interior settlement located 221 kilometres from Miri, Sarawak’s northern city, is another example of the state government’s efforts to achieve full electrification by 2025, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said today.
He said the station would accommodate the growing need for sustainable renewable energy and reduce dependency on fossil fuel while enabling essential services such as healthcare and education facilities in the state’s remote areas such as in Long San to run smoothly.
“We will continue to take steps to close the gap between the rural and urban communities…leveraging on existing initiatives like the Rural Electrification Scheme (RES) and Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES) to provide affordable electricity,” he said.
Abang Johari made the remarks when speaking at a ceremony here to formalise the handing over of the station from Shanghai Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Group of China to Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), the state government-owned electricity company.
At the ceremony, he witnessed Shanghai Electric vice-president Yang Xing Hai handing over the certificate of completion of the project to SEB Group chief executive officer Datuk Sharbini Suhaili.
Shanghai Electric president Xiao Wei Hua, China’s Consul-General in Kuching, Xing Weiping and SEB chairman Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi were also present.
Shanghai Electric donated the solar hybrid station project which commenced in January 2021 and was completed in April 2022.
Meanwhile, Abdul Hamed said the donation of the solar hybrid station worth RM10 million by Shanghai Electric is an effort in sharing technologies and transferring technical skills to Sarawak as a gesture of goodwill.
He said the Long San Solar Hybrid Station is the first solar hybrid station in Sarawak to utilise an advanced Lithium-Ion battery and an energy management system to optimise renewable energy generation and reduce dependence on costly diesel fuel. –Bernama
