KOTA KINABALU: Sarawak is confident its plan to supply 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Sabah will be realised once the grid project in northern Sarawak is completed.
Sarawak’s Utilities and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi confirmed that the grid project is nearing completion, with the final phase expected to be finished by the end of this year.
“We have signed a power exchange agreement with Sabah, and initially, we agreed to supply 30 MW of electricity, depending on the completion of the northern Sarawak grid.
“Once completed, we could increase the supply to 50 or 80 MW, depending on demand,” he noted.
Julaihi was speaking to reporters after attending a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the Sabah Energy Commission and Sarawak’s Utilities and Telecommunications Ministry, aimed at standardising the regulation of electrical equipment and gas appliances.
He also explained that Sarawak intends to complete the Borneo Grid project before exploring the possibility of supplying electricity to the Philippines, a long-term plan that will require a feasibility study.
Sarawak, he said, aims to become a key energy hub for Borneo, Malaysia and Southeast Asia in the future.
On Feb 17, it was reported that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had asked Sarawak to supply its excess electricity to the southern Philippines via Sabah starting next year.
