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Daily Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
Banggi Island electricity supply challenge
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 By: Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau Text Size: BANGGI Island, located northeast of Kudat, Sabah, is Malaysia's largest island, spanning 447 square kilometres. It is nearly half the size of the state of Perlis and home to approximately 30,000 residents. Advertisement Despite its strategic location and potential as a hub for rural development, the island is being confronted with a critical basic infrastructural issue affecting progress and in effect every aspect of daily life which is the availability of a stable and sustainable supply of electricity. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to lead a working visit to Pulau Banggi with a delegation of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (Sabah Electricity) staff members from Generation, Retail as well as the Northern Zone management. The basic objective of the visit was to assess the real situation of the island's energy infrastructure and assess the scope of the needed upgrades. The observation during the visit will contribute to a report which is being prepared for submission and presentation to the Federal Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) in a series of important meetings this coming June. Advertisement Banggi island has been the target of rural electrification initiatives By the federal government through KKDW since 2009. As part of Phase One of the project, KKDW implemented the Rural Electricity Supply Project (BELB) in 2009 which was a hybrid solar PV–diesel power station as an initiative to ensure a reliable electricity supply system to the island's residents, who had long endured unreliable and limited power access. This hybrid system, which combines renewable energy (solar) with conventional sources (diesel), was seen as a more efficient and cost-effective solution compared to relying solely on diesel. It marked a significant milestone in improving the quality of life for residents by providing 24-hour electricity. Later, in July 2011, the Second Phase of the project was implemented and successfully completed in January 2014. The project consisted of the installation of 1,000 kWp of solar panels and five diesel generator units with a combined capacity of 1,450 kW, complementing the existing 200 kWp system from Phase I. In 2015, the project was certified fit for operation and maintenance and subsequently handed over to Sabah Electricity to operate through a memorandum of agreement with KKDW. Under the agreement, all operational costs are paid by Sabah Electricity and later reimbursed by KKDW. And since there are 16 islands under similar operation, Sabah Electricity decided to privatize the operation and maintenance to a third party until today. As with any aging system which has been in operation for more than a decade, various issues have since emerged. Today, peak electricity demand on the island has significantly increased to as high as 932 kW during night-time hours—a significant increase from earlier years. Although the total installed capacity stands at around 2,600 kW (2,000 kW from diesel and 600 kW from solar), the system's actual performance is undermined by ageing equipment, degraded solar panels, failing battery storage systems, and outdated circuitry. For example, two diesel generators which were installed in 2009 are now experiencing frequent break down, largely because their operational lifespan has been exceeded. In its effort to manage rising demand, Sabah Electricity has taken proactive steps by dispatching two additional diesel generator units; one in 2017 and another in 2024. While this has provided temporary relief, it does not address the underlying problems of frequent breakdowns. At this juncture we think that a comprehensive system upgrade is urgently required to ensure long-term reliability. Therefore our visit to Banggi Island was not a mere tour of the facility; rather, it was also a fact-finding mission to determine immediate and long-term needs of the Sabah Electricity power generation Team led by the Chief of Generation Ir. Addie Ahmad. Among those who joined the delegation was YB Dato' Verdon Bahanda, the Member of Parliament for Kudat and his staff members whose insights and contributions were invaluable in contextualising the electricity supply situation. Other than Ir. Addie Ahmad, Sabah Electricity's Chief Generation Officer Ir. Addie Ahmad, I was also accompanied by the Northern Zone Manager Ir. Ts. Winches Maximillian Samuel, Kudat Area Manager Mohd Zulezwan Osman, and the Assistant District Officer (ADO) of Banggi Sub-District Jaslee Jaafar. Also present were local community leaders, who took the opportunity to give feedback and express the concerns and expectations of residents in their respective areas. Sabah Electricity is scheduled to present its initial report to KKDW on 3 June 2025, followed by a high-level meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development, YAB Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in Putrajaya on 26 June 2025. It is important to note that Pulau Banggi is one of 16 islands under the operational care of Sabah Electricity through the BELB hybrid energy system. Nine of these are located in Semporna, while six are in Sandakan. These are some of the socio-economic responsibilities that Sabah Electricity has to undertake in the form of national service as we do not make any money from this undertaking and yet we incur expenses in the form of overhead to manage, monitor and evaluate the current electricity supply systems. The tariff imposed in these islands is a mere 22 Sen per unit electricity, a far cry from the 34.2 Sen being imposed in the rest of Sabah. Centralised management under Sabah Electricity allows for more coordinated maintenance, better allocation of resources, and a higher standard of safety for equipment, personnel, and the general public. Our experiences in Banggi Island underscores a vital lesson: rural development is not just about building infrastructure, it is about maintaining it, upgrading it, and ensuring it evolves alongside the current needs of the populace. It is time we recognised electricity not merely as a basic utility, but as a powerful driver of rural progress. The people of Banggi Island and the other island communities across Sabah deserve access to reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy, just like their fellow citizens on the mainland. Investing in infrastructure upgrades in places like Banggi Island is not just a response to current demand; it is a forward-looking commitment to empowering communities and securing a brighter future for generations to come.
Borneo Post
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Bersatu distorted facts over Banggi solar project - MP
Suhaimi KOTA KINABALU (May 27): Libaran Member of Parliament Datuk Suhaimi Nasir has slammed Sabah Bersatu for politicising the hybrid solar energy project on Banggi Island, accusing the party of distorting facts to gain 'cheap political mileage.' In response to recent claims by Bersatu Sabah Women chief Rahimah Majid who demanded clarification from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the project, Suhaimi said her accusations were baseless, misleading and ignored the actual circumstances surrounding the project. 'Her allegations are not grounded in facts and are sensational in tone. They not only confuse the public but also expose Bersatu's lack of understanding regarding the technical details of the project,' Suhaimi said in a statement on Tuesday. Suhaimi clarified that the Rural Electrification Supply Project (BELB) for a hybrid solar system on Banggi Island had in fact been fully completed in 2015, long before Zahid assumed leadership of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW). 'The project was handed over to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) for operation and maintenance. Any technical problems after the handover fall under SESB's responsibility — not KKDW's,' he stressed. He also noted that the villages named by Rahimah, Kampung Selamat, Pulau Tigabu and Pulau Balambangan, fall under a separate ongoing project: the Hybrid Solar System for Remote Islands of Sabah, which is currently 85% completed, with a delay of 349 days or 15 percent behind schedule. 'The KKDW Technical Division is in the process of terminating the contractor due to failure to meet both deadlines and standards. A follow-up site inspection is scheduled for June 16, 2025. This shows the government is taking clear and transparent action,' he said. Suhaimi also took issue with Rahimah's claim that the project was launched with great fanfare but later abandoned. 'That's a deliberate attempt to create a false narrative to distract from the real issue — the inefficiencies of the current state administration under GRS, which once included Bersatu,' he said. He further pointed out that the very projects now being criticised were initiated during Bersatu's own time in government. 'It is ironic. They inherited and implemented these projects, but now they want to blame others. This is not only irresponsible, but a complete embarrassment in terms of political integrity,' he added. Calling on Bersatu Sabah to stop 'barking from the sidelines,' Suhaimi urged the party to engage constructively and 'step into the arena to solve actual problems.' 'Sabahans are smart enough to see through political gimmicks. They know who delivers and who disappears when responsibility needs to be carried,' he said. 'Politics should be based on facts, not slander.' The Banggi Island solar project has recently drawn public scrutiny following concerns about delays and implementation setbacks in several remote villages. Suhaimi's remarks come as the federal government continues to monitor and enforce project accountability across rural Sabah.
