Why SDG13 matters to Sabah Electricity

Daily Express

26-04-2025

Published on: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Published on: Sat, Apr 26, 2025
By: Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau Text Size: The truth is, we need climate action not as a slogan, but as a survival strategy. Climate change isn't a distant idea anymore. It is here, and it's already reshaping how we live and work. When people talk about climate change, they often picture melting ice caps or rising sea levels in faraway places. But for us at Sabah Electricity, the effects of climate change are not distant or theoretical but they are right here, on our land, impacting our grid, damaging our infrastructure, and threatening our ability to serve the people of Sabah. That's why we take Sustainable Development Goal (SDG13) dedicated to Climate Action seriously. Not because it's trendy, or because we have to, but because we've seen what happens when nature strikes and we aren't prepared. The truth is, we need climate action not as a slogan, but as a survival strategy. Over the past year alone, we've experienced first-hand how natural disasters can paralyze the electricity supply in Sabah. Remember the landslide in Kampung Nabutan? That wasn't just a normal landslide as it occurred right near the 275kV transmission towers that are part of the backbone of our grid. These towers connect the west coast and east coast of Sabah, carrying roughly 200 megawatts of electricity every day. If they had fallen, the entire east coast could have plunged into darkness. That's not just a technical issue but also a disruption to homes, schools, clinics, and factories. That's the real-world consequence of not acting fast enough to protect our infrastructure from the shifting earth beneath our feet. The condition of those towers became very critical. There was no village nearby, no people around to help, just deep forest and unstable soil. And yet, 30 of our Sabah Electricity staff, 30 from TNB, and 20 contractors went deep into those high-risk areas to prevent collapse. They knew the stakes. They knew that for every bolt tightened, every reinforcement made, they were protecting the daily lives of thousands across Sabah. And what about the disaster in Tenom? On 31 October 2022, the Tenom Pangi Hydro Power Station, one of Sabah's key sources of renewable energy was hit by a massive landslide and mud flood. Three turbines were damaged. We lost 66 megawatts of generation capacity overnight. That's clean energy gone. That's a dent in our generation portfolio. That's power we could not deliver to the people. And again, nature didn't wait for us to be ready. It came in full force. These are not rare events anymore. They are becoming more frequent, more intense, and costlier. Toppled electric poles, broken distribution lines, flooded substations. Every time something like this happens, it puts our system under stress. And every time our system is under stress, the people of Sabah feel it, whether it's in the form of a blackout, load shedding, or delayed restoration works. This is why SDG13 matters to us, not as a formality, but as a foundation of power stability and asset protection. Here in this company, we see SDG13 as a lifeline. When we talk about 'green initiatives,' we're not just talking about planting trees or cutting carbon, we're talking about investing in infrastructure that survives, about building systems that bend but don't break, and about planning for a future where power is reliable, even in the face of floods, storms, and landslides. These things are not luxuries, they're necessities. That's why for us, SDG13 Climate Action isn't just about protecting the environment. It's about protecting our assets, our power system, and the lives and livelihoods of the people who count on us every day. It's easy to overlook how much the power grid depends on the land around it staying still and predictable. But the earth is moving, the rains are heavier, the storms are stronger. And Sabah's geography, while beautiful, makes us even more vulnerable. That's why SESB isn't sitting on the side-lines. We're reinforcing our towers, upgrading our monitoring systems, and doing everything we can to build resilience into our grid. But beyond the technical work, we also see the need to shift mindsets—ours, our partners', and the public's. Climate change isn't just the responsibility of scientists and NGOs. It's everyone's problem. And in our case, it's directly linked to whether homes have light, hospitals have power, and industries keep moving. If we want to keep the lights on, we have to care about the earth we're standing on. So yes, Sabah Electricity supports SDG13. Fully. Not because someone told us to, but because we've seen what happens when we don't. The path forward means embracing sustainability in real, practical ways, not only for the environment but for the future of electricity in Sabah.