SESB Purchased 14 Mobile Generator Sets for Faster Response Time

In a nutshell this acquisition would mean reduction in power supply interruptions and faster relief to the consumers. This is achieved supposedly with faster response via deployment of smaller gensets but larger in numbers, to cover more strategic and critical areas.

Reading today's local dailies, you read and get what's necessary for general information. But from technical standpoint, I was a bit frustrated that none of the three papers (NST, Borneo Post & Daily Express) give sufficient information about the mobile gensets technical information apart from stating the obvious -- generator capacity and number of sets. Then again, that is all that matters to the general public, I suppose.

Too bad. Had I known of the event earlier I would not have hesitated to walk in as spectator.

WZS PowerGen handing over the trucks to SESB. Photo: NST Online

Anyway, digesting what the reporters reported in their respective dailies, here's a hint of the mobile power unit:

Generator set capacity	:	500kW each
Engine manufacturer	:	na
Alternator manufacturer	:	na
Designed & integrated by	:	WZS PowerGen Sdn Bhd
Generator engine emission standard	:	Euro 3
Gross mobile unit weight	:	16 tonnes
Fuel tank size	:	2,000 litres
Up time (with continuous use)	:	10 hours
Number of sets	:	14
Total cost	:	RM12 mil ($3 mil)
Received now	:	7 trucks
To receive in Oct 2016	:	7 trucks (expected)
Each generator set will power up	:	200 to 300 homes

Having 14 trucks with capacity of 500kW each, SESB will now have 'additional' generating capacity of 7MW at its disposal to attend to power interrupted areas. So, when there are scheduled power outages which normally last for 8 hours in most cases, this new truck loaded with power generator will be able to last that long.

In my own experience in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang areas, when requested, SESB would send their "Tenaga segera" mobile genset to cater for our industrial power need.

“Before this, we would have to call our contractors and settle payments before we are able to respond to power supply interruption reports but with these 14 new mobile units, we can go together which would cut down response time by half.”- Muhamad Nazri Pazil, Senior General Manager (Asset management), SESB

TheGreenMechanics: Fair enough.

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Here's excerpt of the report by The Borneo Post:

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) now has 14 brand new mobile generator sets to provide faster response to consumers during power supply interruptions.

Its senior general manager (asset management), Muhamad Nazri Pazil, said SESB had spent close to RM12 million to acquire the new generator sets from WZS PowerGen Sdn Bhd, the company appointed to design and assemble the mobile power provider.

“We have seven units with us now which will be assigned to be on standby here in Kota Kinabalu, while the other seven will arrive in October and will be sent to assist the remaining focus areas in the East Coast,” said Nazri, during the handing over ceremony at the SESB compound here yesterday.

The 500Kw mobile generator sets, with a capacity to cater to about 200 to 300 houses at once, will be located in focus areas statewide, namely, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau and Labuan.

The 14 new units, he said, adds on to SESB existing assets of nine mobile generator sets of bigger capacity in Malawa, which are being used to cater to commercial business districts (CBD), as well as its contractors’ assets, namely, MNI and LLP, which each owning 11 and two units respectively.

Previously, SESB had traded in 25 units of used canopy (ground) generator sets, which Nazri said had been in use for about 15 years. The supply of the 14 units of 500Kw generator sets will enable SESB to provide faster response during power supply interruptions and improve the company’s quality of service.

“Before this, we would have to call our contractors and settle payments before we are able to respond to power supply interruption reports but with these 14 new mobile units, we can go together which would cut down response time by half,” he said.

Also present at the handing over ceremony yesterday were SESB general manager Abdul Razak Salleh, deputy general manager (distribution) Ridwan Saham, and WZS PowerGen chief operating officer Dominic How.

Sources: The Borneo Post

Kimanis Power Plant begins full operations

KPP is located south of Papar township. Image credit: www.etawau.com

This should be good news for all stakeholders and especially to the consumers, as this would mean lesser power interruptions.

Kimanis Power Plant (KPP), managed by Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd, became fully operational with the commencement of its third generating block on November 7, 2014.

The third generating block will add an additional 95MW of electricity to the Sabah grid, in addition to the 190MW already generated by the first and second blocks, which started operating in May and July of 2014, respectively. The third block is also the final block to be commissioned in KPP.


Long overdue project

The power plant project is scheduled for full completion in 32 months' time, from Apr 1, 2011 and the first commercial operation date for the first generating block is December 1, 2013.

With the many challenges faced during T&C and load rejection test, the first 100MW block began commercial operations on 16 May 2014, way off initial target.

The Kimanis Power Plant will be the biggest IPP plant Sabah (until such time that a bigger one comes in) and it will take great responsibility in supplying reliable and clean electricity to Malaysians in Sabah.


Power plant summary

Petronas, through Petronas Gas Berhad, owns 60% of KPSB, while Yayasan Sabah through its subsidiary, NRG Consortium (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, owns the remaining 40%.




Power supply requirement now fulfilled?

The short term energy demand should be taken care of for now but more such facilities must be constructed to meet the fast increasing peak demand. According to SESB, electricity demand in Sabah is expected to reach 1,500 MW by the year 2020.

The completion of this project will deliver the additional electricity supply that is crucial in propelling Sabah's future growth. We've lost ground with other states in terms of foreign direct investment due to our inability to meet energy requirement by the investors.

Preferably, there should also be some investment in renewable energy such as hydroelectric, biomass/biogas and solar photovoltaic.


Source: Bernama - 9 Nov 2014, Daily Express - 10 Nov 2014

SESB unaware of 1MDB's plan to be major player in Sabah power sector?

Really? Maybe, but for a big news such as this, it is unlikely that the power utility has no knowledge of.

                               Daily Express, Sunday, 2 November 2014

It was earlier reported that Sabah was looking at 3 new power plants with 1MDB expected to secure two:

• A 400MW gas-fired plant to be located either in Lahad Datu or Sandakan, and
• A hydro plant in Ulu Padas which is expected to generate 180MW of power

If 1MDB is to be in any way involved with the implementation of these projects, or any power projects in the state, we'd better make sure that it is done in an open bidding process, in line with the government's transparency policy. We do not want to see another lop-sided power purchase agreement with an IPP.


On whether we will have sufficient power in the near future, this is what the power utility has to say:

"Currently, with 2new Independent Power Producers (IPPs) operating in Kimanis - Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd (KPSB) operating 190MW and SPR Energy (100MW) - there is still a comfortable reserve margin of more than 25%. Another 95MW is due to come on stream at KPSB by early next month, which would be sufficient to meet the power requirement for the next one to two years." - Bernama, 1 November 2014

That's good to know. But with many ageing equipment in its keeping, it looks like we are more of doing 'fire fighting' than building reserve margin.

Speaking of transparency, 1MDB had an attempt at bulldozing a big solar farm in Kedah back in April this year. This was supposed to be the largest solar farm in the country with generating capacity of 50MW.

We have no update yet if this has gone into implementation but if it has, then this is robbery. Or in a more polite term, the least fair play in the so called 'electronic bidding' mechanism for solar quota.

                                                The Star, 23 April 2014

The Green Mechanics:

We have nothing against 1MDB making a mark here. In fact this would benefit the people in term of direct investment into the state, and eventually better power for the consumers. But it must be transparent and fair to the other players.


Reference: Bernama

Kimanis Power Plant (KPP) starts commercial operations

After a failed Load Rejection Test last month, Kimanis Power Plant finally kicked start commercial operation of of its power plant, which I 'suppose' is good news.

When I posted about the LRT (with high hope) last month, Mr Turbineman (Thomas Lee) commented it normally points to not-so-good news and true enough this KPP had issues with gas supply from SOGT, which was not even the test itself, and that lead to postponement of the LRT. Subsequent test was carried out later and an engineer friend who works there said KPP was ready to go supply power. Soon afterward the power plant came online on 16 May 2014.

First 100 MW block starts operation

The Petronas Group achieved another milestone for its business in Sabah when Petronas Gas Berhad's subsidiary, Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd (KPSB), started the commercial operations of the first 100 MW block of its Kimanis Power Plant (KPP) in Kimanis on May 16.

The KPP, one of several petroleum and energy related projects developed by the Petronas Group in Sabah, is expected to contribute significantly to the reliability and security of power supply in the State, once fully operational.

The three-blocks, 300 MW gas-fired power plant is a key project in the "Power Up Sabah" initiative, established under the Malaysian Economic Transformation Plan (ETP).

The plant utilises natural gas from offshore Sabah.

Besides strengthening the Sabah electricity grid, the successful start of the commercial operations is a significant milestone in providing a reliable source of energy towards supporting the State's economic growth.

A joint venture between Petronas PGB and Yayasan Sabah's subsidiary NRG Consortium (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, the plant's first block's commercial operations date (COD) of May 16 2014 was within the targeted schedule announced in February this year.

Chairman of KPSB, Yusa' Hassan, said this achievement was a significant milestone for the company after many months of meticulous planning and hard work. The COD for the plant's second and third 100 MW blocks is scheduled in the third quarter of 2014.

PGB owns 60% of KPSB while NRG Consortium owns the remaining 40%.


TheGreenMechanics: Hope there'll finally be light at the end of the never ending 'blackout' tunnel!

SESB to conduct load rejection test on Kimanis IPP today

The independent power producer (IPP) in Kimanis, Papar will be conducting a load rejection test today. Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) said the test would be conducted for 30 minutes from 5pm and involve an energy load of 72 MW.





Load Rejection Test (LRT)

To understand what is LRT, I've quoted Hurricane193 here: "Load rejection test means to test the engine performance with no load condition after running with full load. Simply, the test done to check the engine and generator performance in case generator circuit breaker suddenly trip due to fault in upper network."

You can see the typical procedure explained by Hurricane193 at: Load Rejection Test

"The test process is very important to the IPP station to begin channeiling the Sabah Interconnection Grid System. It involves load rejection by the IPP and sudden reduction of the grid system frequency to a controlled level." - Muhamad Nazri Pazil, Senior General Manager (Asset management) SESB.

SESB would take early initiatives, including making a computer simulation of the MW loss to the grid system to ensure there was no impact on the consumers when the test was being conducted.

Consumers were encouraged to contact the SESB at 15454 or 088-515000 if their area experienced a power failure. SESB assured that immediate action would be taken on all complaints sent through the official channels.


TheGreenMechanics: This should be good news as we've been waiting for the excess capacity to cater for the increasing energy need in Sabah. Finger crossed, this will be successful.

On the issue of power failure, there is also an emergency line you can contact SESB during 'emergency' cases.

But from personal experience, the staff maning the call centre (emergence number) would insist that you call 15454 or 515000 instead before they can mobilise the stand-by team. I strongly believe SESB should give exception when it involve facilities that concern the public such water works, hospitals, etc.

Distributed generation (DG) to help address Thailand's energy issues?

This is an article about distributed power generation (DG) in Thailand written by Wärtsilä Power Plants. Thailand being our close neighbour, and due to the fact that it has similar situation to ours in transmitting electricity through challenging terrain, this should be a good read.


What is Distributed Generation (DG)

Distributed generation is also known as embedded or dispersed generation, or on-site generation. DG is electricity generating plant that is connected to a distribution network rather than the transmission network.

There are many types and sizes of DG, including Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants, wind farms, hydro electric power, solar PV, or one of the new smaller generation technologies.

: :          : :          : :          : :          : :          : :          : :          : :          : : 

I have summarised a long article here, but if you want to read the full writing, I've provided a link at the end of this posting.

Implementing a large central power plant present us with economic of scale but the downside is that it is extremely challenging in terms of site availability, power transmission as well as public concern about environmental issues.

Electricity generation today is moving towards a more decentralised model where generation is close to demand. Possible benefits are diminished transmission and distribution losses and investments, improved energy efficiency, and increased security of supply.

In the case of Thailand, the government incentive schemes such as the feed-in tariff, DG will be more attractive for developers and investors going forward. Small Power Producer (SPP) and Very Small Power Producer (VSPP) programmes are examples of success stories under the DG schemes. Both programmes promote primary energy savings and encourage the use of alternative energy.




Thailand has release power purchase agreements or PPAs (as of December 2013) for:

SSP licences     : 129 projects totaling 11,988 MW in capacity
VSPP licences  : 888 projects totaling  3,727 MW
Still in the process of licencing: 3,250 MW


Thailand's power generation mix

Thailand's total power generation was 33,681 MW as of December 2013, with growth in power demand averages around 4% annually. Thailand's generation system consists of:

1) The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) - 45%
2) Independent power producers (IPPs) - 38%
3) Small Power Producer (SPPs) - 10%
4) Imported electricity - 7%


Renewable energy sources, being the main contributors to the Distributed Generation, is given emphasis in Thailand's plan for power generation growth. The following Table summarises the incentive for renewable energy power plants, in the form of feed-in tariff:



You can compare this with our Feed-in tariff rates here.

Source: For a complete reading of this article, go to REW portal.

Load shedding due to Pangi Hydropower plant under capacity

If you've been experiencing power supply disruption the last couple of days, you probably were located within the area where load shedding was being carried out.


The current 22MW turbines at Pangi hydropower plant. Pictures taken by The Borneo Post during working visit at the plant November last year.


SESB said that load shedding had to be carried out on Tuesday due to Pangi Hydropower plant in Tenom unable to generate optimal power. Dry weather during Tuesday's peak hour had resulted in slow water flow at Sungai Padas, hence affecting Pangi's power generation capability.

Power generation went down to only 35MW, whereas the full capacity of the power plant is 66MW.

Apart from that, several other independent power producers also faced outage such as in Libaran, ARLT and SBPC. Load shedding began at the peak hour of 12.50pm while power supply was restored in stages beginning 2.50pm on the same day.


Two days in a row now, and counting

Already on Monday, SESB had to resort to load shedding as it observed high demand for power by consumers. If it was not due to failure of its generators then you can only deduce that we are now in the critical stage of power deficiency.

The commissioning of the 100MW IPP by SPR Energy Sdn Bhd in May this year and the first block of Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd generating 95MW in June, may not be sufficient in the medium term! SESB gave assurance this will help solve the problem, but it wont be for long.


The Green Mechanics' two cents:

We've read that Pangi hydropower plant is currently undergoing sprucing up project and a bit of upgrading which would increase the generating capacity from 66MW to 75MW. That's good, but that may be only good enough for the surrounding area.

The utility company is also looking at building a non-destructive 180 MW hydropower plant at Ulu Padas, Kuala Tomani and this, I think would be a better bet at solving the acute power shortage, compared to the small, ageing Pangi hydropower plant. This should (at the least) put Tenom area in a 'safe island' during islanding mode of operation due to major power disruptions.

On IPPs with fault-prone generators, someone should really look at the procedures on how IPP monitoring by SESB is being carried out, if there was one. Well, it's crazy to assume there's none, but can you help but think something is not right with the preventive maintenance after several major blackouts in a span of just a couple of years?

Look at some of my articles pertaining to blackouts and power supply issues in Sabah:

• SESB offers explaination on the 30 April 2012 total blackout - Link
• Sabah power blackout due to Shutdown of 4 turbines by IPP - Link
• IPP Shutdown: SESB load shedding on the card - Link
• Power outage: SESB vs SEB - Link
• Fancy a long Earth Hour this weekend? - Link
• Privatisation of SESB a failure? - Link

On a positive note, one must appreciate the efforts put in place by SESB to address the power supply issues in the state. Several bigger power plants are currently on the pipeline and some of them are nearing completion (in stages), plus, the utility company is also looking at getting better control over the IPPs, especially the upcoming ones once the terms of the existing ones expire.

Also, don't forget; SESB is also spending a lot on upgrading its transmission grids.

Sabah power blackout due to Shutdown of 4 turbines by IPP

It's good that Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has finally came out with a media briefing regarding the state-wide blackout on January 17, 2014. People have been speculating about why and what caused the second massive blackout in 2 years. The previous one was on April 30, 2012.

The slight delay did not help the utility in putting a stop to allegations after allegations from many quarters, some to the point of slandering. Just navigate to the 'News' dropdown menu in the SESB website and you will see I meant. For me, I prefer to wait and get the full pictures from SESB's own press release like the one in 2012.

One of the power plants belonging to Ranhill, located in Teluk Salut. Source: RPSB pdf

IPP to blame for the blackout?

From what was reported today by the local dailies, it seem the blame is on the Independent Power Producer's (IPP). Well it depends on how you look at it.

If one day you find your tap went dry, who will you blame? The Water Department? The water concessionaires who manage the water supply for the department? The Operators who operate the treatment plant? The broken-down pumps? Where does the blame-game stop? Someone has to take the responsibility, or, the blame if you like.

SESB was quoted by Daily Express as saying that the IPP's decision to shut down its gas turbines for safety reasons caused the massive power failure in Sabah and Labuan on that fateful day.


Why and how it happened

Preliminary findings revealed by SESB on Wednesday were that Ranhill's power plant decided to shut down the gas turbines after encountering a technical problem, causing power to fluctuate and trip.

IPP informed SESB that its "diverter damper", the door which covers the gas connection from the turbines to power up a steam turbine at the plant, could not be shut. Out of fear as smoke was continuously coming out from the plant, they decided to shut down the two gas turbines.

In the report, Managing Director Abdul Razak Sallim said the blackout episode could be divided into two events, (1) being a residual overcurrent protection at 10.30am where power was stabilised and (2) a sharp drop in power transmission at 11.11am.

He said in the first event, power generation had stabilised to 633MW, while demand stood at 585.1MW with an excess margin of 48.5MW.

But in the second event which caused the total blackout, power generation stood only at 525MW, while demand remained at 585MW, causing a margin deficiency of (-) 60MW, the problem of which was traced to the Ranhill Power Plant.


SESB not in a position to compensate consumers

The blackout is reported to have left the utility firm with about RM2 million in losses. While it affected more than 500,000 consumers statewide, SESB said it is also a victim of circumstances, and still operating in the red.

So, SESB cannot offer a discount nor reduce the newly-revised tariff as demanded by an opposition Assemblywoman, Christina Liew who earlier said SESB should give a 30 per cent discount.


What's next

A task force committee will, among others, determine whether the issue had been caused by technical or human error. The detailed report would be forwarded to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry to decide whether to launch an elaborate investigation.

Will Ranhill Power Plant risk a revocation of its licence by the Energy Commission?

"Under the Electric Supply Act 1994 all licenses to IPPs are issued by the Commission, if there are situations where the IPPs can assist supply in times of crisis and had received instructions to do so, but did not do it, their licences can be revoked." - Energy Commission West Coast Areas Director Nazlin Ab Alim Sidiri


The way forward for SESB as to what I understand from my readings:

• For SESB, TNB and Energy Commission to work together to strengthen its 21 fail-safe system and other efforts to ensure there will be no repeat of a total blackout.

• For the government to continuously provide allocations (and perhaps allocate more now) to set up a redundancy system or a back-up power line that can serve as a back-up when the main cables are down to improve the State's System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI).

TheGreenMechanics: Two state-wide blackouts in a span of less than 2 years is not good a statistics at all. Not good at all! But in this particular case, SESB can't be totally blamed; to certain extent their hands are also tied with regards to control over the many IPPs in the state.

That said, for the sake of making good what has been pledged to the people, the government, especially the federal government, which has more grip on the parent company, TNB, must take some drastic and bold decisions. If it is just fund you are talking about, then reprioritise!

We cannot just continue to say "This is Sabah, we have to live with it" and accept our fate as so!


Source:
Daily Express - read here
Bernama - read here
Free Malaysia Today - read here

Electricity tariff up by average 15% and 17% from Jan 1, 2014

You and I should brace ourselves for a 15% (Peninsula Malaysia) and 17% (Sabah and Labuan) hike in electricity tariffs next year.

Those are the averages of electricity tariff increase announced by the minister concerned few days after hinting that the government will raise Electricity Tariff by 10% to 20% in 2014 earlier.


The government says the tariff adjustment is a step to restructure subsidies into a form that is more targeted and sustainable.


To be exact, the average electricity tariff in:-

• Peninsular Malaysia will be up 4.99 sen/kWh (14.89%) from the current average rate of 33.54 sen/kWh to 38.53 sen/kWh. 
• Sabah and Labuan will be up 5.0 sen/kWh (16.9%) from current average rate of 29.52 sen/kWh to 34.52 sen/kWh.

Rates in Sarawak will not be affected because the electricity supply in the state is operated by state-run company, Sarawak Energy Berhad. There is a clear advantage in being able to control the utilities on your own, isn't it!

The new rates will take effect from Jan 1, 2014.


How it is compared to the existing one. Graphic by TheMalaysianInsider


Who will not be affected

Note that 70.67% of consumers in Peninsular Malaysia and 62% of consumers in Sabah and Labuan will not be affected by the tariff hike. There will be no tariff increase imposed on the consumers who use electricity at a rate of, or lower than, 300kWh a month.

Translated into absolute figures, 4.56 million consumers in the peninsula and 260,000 consumers in Sabah and Labuan will not be affected by this hike.


Who will be affected the most

Consumers whose electricity consumption is more than 300 kWh will be directly affected by the tariff restructuring. The group most likely to be affected are those whose electricity usage is between 301 to 400 kWh and 401 to 600 kWh.


We will look at the electricity tariff restructuring implications on commercial and industrial users next.


Source: The Star

Explore new energy sources said CM

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has been urged  to explore new energy sources and applications to strengthen its electricity generating capacity.

Chief Minister Musa said this in reference to renewables during the recent Sustainable Energy Convention 2013 held at 1Borneo Hypermall last week.

Government commitment on CO2 emission reduction and Renewable Energy

It was vital for the State’s sole electricity provider to find a cheaper and more sustainable approach in keeping up with the growing power demand, given the increasingly high cost of operating using conventional fossil fuel.

At present, the electricity generating capacity for Sabah and Labuan stands at 1,000 MW, compared to peak demand of up to 874 MW. Out of this, 111 MW was from renewable sources, such as mini hydro and biomass.


Government's commitment to assist

Ideas, planning and suggestions are to be discussed by the power company, related government-linked agencies and the State Government to ensure smooth and speedy implementation.

The governments, both at the state and federal level, would be committed in supporting the power company in their effort to improve their services and ensure power security for the State.

“The State Government realises that the operation cost for providing electricity is huge. Apart from expensive equipment and maintenance, SESB and independent power plants have to deal with high and unstable prices of fuel. We are prepared to give cooperation and support to ensure  improvements could be implemented successfully."
- Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman, Sabah Chief Minister.

TheGreenMechanics: Quality of services provided had seen improvement with a notable reduction in power disruption in recent years, but it had yet to meet the expectation of consumers in Sabah.

I have personally encountered difficulties in applying for shutdowns to facilitate connection works to the utility's grid, most probably due to their attempt to reduce SAIDI. At the least, I can say this is unfair.

On the sort of support the state government is giving to the Renewable Energy initiative here, it is understood that it is looking at ways to contribute to SEDA fund in lieu of the consumers.

Safer than uranium, Thorium is backed as a 'future fuel'

Nuclear scientists are being urged by the former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to develop thorium as a new fuel.

Mr Blix says that the radioactive element may prove much safer in reactors than uranium. It is also more difficult to use thorium for the production of nuclear weapons.


Thorium could prove to be safer in reactors than uranium


His comments will add to growing levels of interest in thorium, but critics warn that developing new reactors could waste public funds.

Mr Blix, the former Swedish foreign minister, told BBC News: "I’m a lawyer not a scientist but in my opinion we should be trying our best to develop the use of thorium. I realise there are many obstacles to be overcome but the benefits would be great.

"I am told that thorium will be safer in reactors - and it is almost impossible to make a bomb out of thorium. These are very major factors as the world looks for future energy supplies."

His enthusiasm is shared by some in the British nuclear establishment. Scientists at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) have been encouraged by the government to help research on an Indian thorium-based reactor, and on a test programme in Norway.


The Norway tests at the OECD’s nuclear trials facility in Halden are conducted in a Bond-style underground bunker. Image source: BBC


How is thorium safer than uranium

When a uranium reactor overheats and the fuel rods can’t contain the chain reaction, as happened at Fukushima, the crisis continues. If something happened to a thorium reactor, technicians could simply switch off the stimulus which comes from uranium or plutonium in a small feeder plant and the thorium reaction would halt itself.

Read the complete article at BBC 

TheGreenMechanics: This surely is a very contentious issue, but if there's anything about alternatives that we need to be told about, we deserve to know it. Even if it's purely academic.

TNB to build two 1,000MW coal-fired power plants in Perak

It is good that TNB is taking proactive measures to mitigate the risk of inability to supply sufficient power to Peninsula Malaysia. The catchy keyword is coal, and because it is coal, it is sensitive.

Setting up of coal-fired power plant is controversial (we have such experience in Sabah) because the potential for environmental pollution is very high. The proposed 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu was scrapped due to the people's objection.

Extension to the existing power plant in Manjung will start soon. Photo: Lowyat

Contrary to this, n West Malaysia, though, coal-fired power plant is one of the bigger contributors to the energy generation mix. There are also coal-fired power plants in Sarawak.

So, the real question here in Sabah is, are we looking more towards solution of the perennial issue of blackout/power failure or are we more looking at the environment alone? Of course there is a balance to be struck, but you cannot have the best of both.

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Two new 1,000MW power plants in Manjung

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will build two high-technology 1,000 MW coal-fired power plants in Manjung, Perak to meet the increasing demand for electricity.

Its vice president of generation Zainuddin Ibrahim said the two projects will start soon and will be completed within the next four years. The power consumption is expected to increase by 5% annually and the two projects are in the company's pipeline.

"The two projects in Manjung are mainly for domestic usage and are expected to be completed in 2017," he told reporters after launching the 3rd Annual Asian Sub-Bituminous Coal User Group Conference which was attended by over 140 industry professionals from 15 countries including Malaysia, the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Russia on October 1, 2013.

On average, Malaysia consumes about 15,000 to 16,000 MW of power daily, with the figure expected to increase annually. TNB's power generation ratio is as follows:-

• Natural gas                    : 50%
• Coal-fired power plants   : 35% to 40%
• Renewable energy         : 10% to 15%

TNB believes that coal is one of Malaysia's most important sources of energy, and over 80% of coal in Malaysia is imported from Indonesia, South Africa and Australia.

The utility's annual consumption of coal is about 42 million tonnes and the trend continues to increase, with Asia being the biggest market for coal for power plants, accounting for 67% of worldwide demand.


Source: Bernama

Sarawak Energy awards RM1.2 billion 500kV backbone projects

Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) awarded six contracts packages worth total of RM1.2 billion for the 500kV Transmission Backbone project yesterday.

Based on the information submitted by successful tenderers, SEB said, over 60 local companies, employing an estimated 30,000 workers, will be involved in the awarded contracts.

Successful bidders of the project which is expected to commence in October 2013 and is scheduled for completion in stages from December 2015 to June 2016 are:

Six successful bidders,with more than 50% local participation

Better power supply system for Sarawak?

The local participation across the six packages is well above 50% the company said. The 500kV project would extend over 500 kilometres from Similajau in Bintulu to Tondong in Kuching.

Sarawak Energy said the 500kV transmission backbone project would support the future development of the company's generating system and provide a strong security of supply to the fast-expanding Sarawak Corridor of Renewal Energy (SCORE) customers.


TheGreenMechanics: Sarawak is a big state and the high voltage transmission lines can not only carry more power, but they also have lower losses. High voltage lines of max 500kV (so far) is used by TNB in West Malaysia.