Sarawak to supply Sabah in October: Part of the Borneo Grid plan
Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025
By: David Thien Text Size: Sarawak to give priority for the Borneo Grid first over supply of electricity to Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. KUCHING: Sarawak will supply Sabah with 30MW of electricity starting October 2025 and this grid will also eventually connect to Brunei Darussalam as part of the Borneo Grid which it prioritises before realising supplying to the Asean Grid – to Singapore and the Philippines in future. Sarawak is supporting Malaysia in advancing the Asean Power Grid by realising an 'Interconnected Borneo' first. Malaysia is the Chairman of Asean this year.
Advertisement Its plan for the Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore Interconnection is 1,000MW each from the mid-2030s via a 700-km submarine cable. 'Sarawak has been exporting 100 to 200MW of electricity since 2016 through the West Kalimantan Interconnection,' revealed Datuk Sharbini Suhaili, Group Chief Executive Officer Sarawak Energy Berhad at the International Energy Week 2025, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK). The event is dubbed 'Borneo's Biggest International Energy Expo & Summit', themed: 'From Sarawak to the World: Journey to Clean Energy Leadership'. Sharbini is proud that Sarawak has put Malaysia on the world's map as a sustainable source of renewable clean energy, and by this role, the largest state in Malaysia is recognised for its leadership in green energy. Panel speaker, Puah Kok Keong, the Chief Executive of Energy Market Authority of Singapore noted that Sarawak has the lowest electricity tariff in Malaysia. He said whilst Singapore's electricity tariff is at Singapore 30 cents, Sarawak Energy offers the lowest unsubsidised tariffs in Malaysia and among the most competitive in the Southeast Asia region for organic residential, industrial and commercial customers averaging 28 sen/kWh, as its energy landscape comprises of a balanced capacity mix of 60 per cent renewable energy. Sarawak's unique energy landscape enables the state to be at the cusp of a transformative clean energy era. While the state is powered by predominantly renewable hydropower, it is also advancing alternative renewable energy like solar, biomass, etc. This afforded Sarawak Energy an opportunity to diversify its customer base and market besides the sharing of generation of renewables capacity. This facilitates regional energy trading, optimal resource utilization and promotes renewable energy integration. It also has abundant indigenous gas and coal resources for energy security and reliability of supply. Nevertheless, the state is on course to phase out coal from energy mix in future. Sharbini said 'Sarawak Energy is committed to achieving balanced energy development, focusing on energy security, sustainability and affordability to drive sustainable socioeconomic transformation in Sarawak.' Sarawak is harnessing its renewable hydropower with its Batang Ai (94MW since 1985), Bakun (2,520MW since 2011) which is the largest in Southeast Asia, Murum (944MW since 2014), and Baleh (1,285MW to be fully commissioned in 2030) to realize the Borneo grid before exporting surplus electricity to Singapore and West Malaysia. 'All hydropower facilities operated by Sarawak Energy are guided by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and the Hydropower Sustainability Standard (HSS),' Sharbini said as he elaborated on the strategic importance of enhancing energy connectivity across Asean nations to create a resilient, efficient and integrated energy network. He called on Asean governments to allow the private sector to drive this energy transformation across Asean with support for fundings. Singaporean Puah Kok Keong revealed that the Singapore government has allocated some S$10 billion to the Singapore Future Energy Fund which must be spent prudently for this purpose. 'With energy demands rising and sustainability goals becoming a priority, regional cooperation is essential for achieving collective energy security and transitioning to a low-carbon future,' he said at the event moderated by Prihastya Wiratama, the Project Manager of Asean Centre for Energy. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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