Hajiji chairing the MTS meeting. Also present are Deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam and Datuk Ewon Benedick.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s electricity supply system performance has improved noticeably since the State took over regulatory control over electricity and renewable energy, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor.
He said the State could now act more quickly to address issues and improve the electricity supply system without having to wait for Federal approval.
“Previously, we had to wait for four to five years to get our applications approved by the Federal Energy Commission, but since we took over, we can get it done ourselves and improve our electricity supply system quickly,” he said after chairing the Sabah Energy Council (MTS) meeting at Menara Kinabalu, here, today.
Sabah took control of regulatory powers for electricity and renewable energy after the State Legislative Assembly passed the Electricity Supply Enactment 2024, Sabah Renewable Energy Enactment 2024 and the ECoS Amendment Enactment 2024 on Jan 3, 2024.
A year earlier, Sabah had taken control of its gas supply.
Hajiji said Sabah’s generation reserve margin was expected to reach 26 per cent by the end of this year, up from a low of eight per cent in 2024 and 19 per cent as of August this year.
At the same time, he said the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) had improved from 598 minutes in 2023 to 226 minutes as of July this year.
He said the improvement resulted from various ongoing initiatives to enhance the grid system.
Hajiji said efforts to strengthen Sabah’s energy sector must be comprehensive, including ensuring transmission and distribution infrastructure was ready to improve system reliability and resilience.
“This is in line with the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Master Plan (SE-RAMP 2040), as well as the target of achieving a 50 per cent renewable energy capacity mix by 2035,” he said.
Among matters discussed at the MTS meeting were a review of the Long-Term Demand Forecast Study (LTDF2026) and the Power Development Plan (PDP2026) for the next 10 years to ensure capacity planning continues to meet energy demand requirements.
To strengthen electricity supply on the East Coast, Hajiji said proposed gas-fired power plants in Sandakan and Tawau were also being planned to replace high-cost diesel and Medium Fuel Oil (MFO)-based power plants.
He said the addition of Large-Scale Solar (LSS) capacity and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), implemented through a competitive bidding process, would also support efforts to strengthen the generation system.
He added that the LSS and BESS projects were specifically aimed at improving generation reliability on the East Coast.
“Every decision by the Sabah Energy Council must be made in a balanced and prudent manner, with priority given to security of supply, optimal system costs, industry requirements and the interests of consumers in enjoying electricity supply at affordable rates,” he said.
Hajiji said the State Government, through the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) as the regulatory body for the State’s energy sector, would continue to monitor the implementation of approved projects to ensure they were completed on schedule and delivered tangible benefits to system reliability.
