Ahmad Fuad explaining the function of the second line control room.
NABAWAN: Another electricity transmission line project from Tenom to Nabawan is being planned by the government through the Ministry of Regional and Rural Development and the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).
SESB senior general manager (asset management), Ir. Ahmad Fuad Md Kassim, said a 132kV main sub-station will be set up to stabilise electricity supply in Nabawan and its surrounding areas.
“We will extend coverage to improve the supply of electricity to areas that are still without electricity supply in this district,” he told reporters after visiting the RM9.7 million 33KV Keningau-Nabawan second line project here yesterday, which is for the improvement of the supply to SESB customers in Nabawan in the future.
According to him, the project management will come under the Ministry of Regional and Rural Development, including the appointing of contractors while SESB’s role would be on design and project monitoring.
Ahmad Fuad said at the moment, physically, we do not see the project because it is still in the initial stage.
“I have been informed at the project meeting yesterday (Tuesday) that the progress of the project is 28 percent. The work on the foundation of the transmission tower has already started and would take two years to complete. So, with the implementation of this project, SESB believe, the electricity supply in Nabawan will be more stable,” he said.
With the Keningau-Nabawan 33KV second line project already fully operational since December 21, 2011, he said, consumers around Nabawan, Pegalungan, Sapulut and Pensiangan now enjoy a more stable supply of electricity after this project. Before, only a 33KV line connects the district with Keningau and electricity interruption occurs if the line is damaged.
He said the project undertaken by SESB is to improve service to users in this district and Sook.
“This district and Sook is under the interior zone which covers Keningau, Tambunan, Tenom and Nabawan including Sook, Kemabong and Pegalungan sub-district. The work extends the line as far as 67 kilometres and is one of SESB’s initiative to reduce the duration and frequency of electricity interruption to users in the area.
“With the completion of this project, SESB main objective to increase supply in Nabawan and to minimize disruption is met,” he said.
Ahmad Fuad said, the stability of electricity supply in rural areas is the main focus of SESB to reduce the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) in this state and Labuan Federal Territory.
He said, SESB would be able to minimize the interruptions with the second line as it would then be able divide the number of consumers who take supply from the system.
According to him, for the first line, in the event of interruptions happening on the line, the period of interruption is the period of repairing.
“Now with the second line at the cost of RM9.5 million under the 9th Malaysian Plan (9MP), we would be able to minimize the disruption involved as this second line would be able to share the load.
“So if there is interruption in one line only some users involved may be able to recover in due course,” he said.
Ahmad Fuad said, SESB two rural standby teams have already been established last year and has been placed in this area. They will be working on 24-hour shifts daily to monitor and take action if there are issues of electricity supply in the surrounding area.
“With the team on standby in the area recovery of electricity supply will be accelerated compared to the time taken before.
“The team will focus on recovery tasks of electricity supply in the areas of Nabawan, Pensiangan, Pegalungan, Sapulut and Sook,” he said.
He said there are 1,708 registered users of electricity supply from SESB in this district.
Statistically, he said, having the availability of the second line could reduce the SAIDI in this area by 50 per cent. According to SESB Financial Year statistics starting from September 1 to August 31, 2012, SAIDI recorded 30.79 minutes in Nabawan, including Sook and on August 27 this year SAIDI has declined to 14.68 minutes, which was more than 50 percent.
“We hope for the remaining three days until August 31, SESB would be able to maintain the figure of 14.68 minutes. This means the SAIDI reduction by more than 50 percent from 30.79 minutes to 14.68 minutes is a very big success to SESB,” Ahmad Fuad said.