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Sabah reels under power outage BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Sabah reels under power outage

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:35 AM PST

by Sandra Sokial. Posted on January 18, 2014, Saturday

KOTA KINABALU: A statewide power outage yesterday brought much of Sabah and Labuan to a standstill for hours, affecting businesses and about half a million consumers.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd managing director Ir Abdul Razak Sallim described the major power outage as 'beyond expectation," adding that efforts were being carried out to identify the cause of the disruption.

He said initial investigation showed that the first power trip was recorded at 10:56:47 seconds due to current differential (red phase), but it was restored within 100 milisecond (ms), or 0.001 second.

"However, after restoration was done, a second later, our Independent Power Plant in Sepanggar tripped causing power losses of about 200 Megawatt (MW).

"We are surprised ourselves because actually, with the design used on the power installation, it should not have brought the system down. We are puzzled ourselves and will be investigating the real cause, which means going back to the operators to find out," he explained to reporters, about four hours after the power disruption was clocked at 11.05am.

Abdul Razak said before the incident, there was 877MW of power available to meet the demand status for Sabah and Labuan at 731MW. The reserve was 146MW.

"However, after the incident, the losses were recorded at 352.8MW, or about 50 per cent total collapse. Our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to activate the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) by activating the islanding mode at all affected areas.

We have six islands, namely Melawa, Salut, Labuan, Pangi, Tawau and Sandakan," he said.

Restoration works were immediately carried out with Ranau being the first area to be fully restored at 12.15pm, after 70 minutes of power disruption, followed by Tawau and Labuan at 1pm, Keningau (1.50pm) and Semporna (1.55pm).

As of 4pm yesterday, about 70 per cent of power had been restored.

"We will wait for power to stabilise at all the islands before connecting it. It will be done in stages. We believe power will be restored by 6pm, and latest by 9pm," said Abdul Razak. adding that at least 500,000 people were affected by the power outage.

As of 4.30pm, the Pangi and Labuan islands have been connected.

"We need an anchor plant in both the East and West coast areas to ensure that there is no repeat of such major power breakdown in the future," he said.

On another development, Abdul Razak said customers are allowed to claim for damage to their electrical goods if they are able to prove it beyond doubt.

"What they need to do is to lodge a police report and submit the claim to us. We will assign a valuer to identify and prove the cause of the damage. If it is proven that it was due to negligence, then we are obliged to reimburse," assured Abdul Razak.

Meanwhile, the power outage forced most shops at shopping complexes and other parts of the city to close between 5pm and 6pm, while traffic congestion was eased when policemen came to man various traffic intersections.

The last massive blackout that occurred in Sabah was in April 2012 when a gas piping system malfunctioned and affected several independent power producers. Supply was restored within the same day.

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FSI: power tariff hike, outage a double whammy

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST

by Chok Sim Yee. Posted on January 18, 2014, Saturday

KOTA KINABALU: Federation of Sabah Industries (FSI) expects better service from Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) following the rise of electricity tariff starting January.

Its president Datuk Seri Panglima Wong Khen Thau said the high electricity tariff and power disruption were a double whammy not only to the manufacturing sector, but also to households.

"If you want to increase (the electricity tariff), you must ensure the service is good," he said when commenting on the statewide power failure in Sabah yesterday.

Wong said factories that depended heavily on electricity in their operations would have generators in place, but small and medium industries (SMIs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) might not be able to afford a generator as the machine did not come cheap.

"A standard sized generator costs hundreds of thousands."

He said the blackout would have a major impact on heavy electricity usage industries, such as cement producers, as well as the food industry.

"The estimated loss for eight hours of power disruption can go by millions," he pointed out.

On whether FSI members would seek compensation from SESB, Wong said it was too early to say for now.

"We need to know what caused the blackout, if it was due to negligence," he said, adding that some FSI members had sought compensation from SESB in the past.

On a related matter, Wong said the government should defer the increase in electricity tariff by five to 10 years.

In fact, FSI just held a meeting on Thursday and it was decided that the federation would send a petition to the government to request a deferment on the electricity tariff hike.

He said the electricity tariff in Sabah was revised in 2011 but within three years, the tariff was increased by another 16.9 per cent, plus 1.6 per cent of renewable energy fund for the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT).

"In three years, the electricity tariff has increased over 30 per cent. Few countries do that (increase electricity rate) in a short period of time."

Wong said Sarawak had not increased its electricity rate at all, whilst the hike in Peninsular Malaysia was not as high as Sabah.

"As an oil and gas producing state, we should get some benefits from the government's side.

"We feel that infrastructures and basic facilities like electricity supply should not be a burden to taxpayers; it should be subsidized by the government," he said.

Wong said the government could implement the increase of electricity tariff in stages, by a few per cent each year.

As for the renewable energy fund for the FiT, Wong pointed out that it was not that the industries here did not want to adopt green technology, but they had not reached that level yet.

He continued to say that SESB should re-look and review their operations from a cost-cutting perspective, in particular the reason of their high cost of operations.

Wong claimed that independent power producers (IPPs) were charging a high rate, which contributed to a high cost of operation for SESB.

"It is not fair to pass it down to the rakyat or consumers.

"If the IPPs were not efficient, they should be cut off and let other people handle," he added.

FSI, previously known as the Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM), has over 200 members in Sabah.

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Residents fear imminent landslide at Taman Indah Jaya Sandakan

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST

SANDAKAN: Residents staying at the edge of the hill slope at Taman Indah Jaya at North Road, Sandakan are becoming jittery in fear of their safety every time during heavy rainy spells.

The incidences of landslides has been plaguing the residents staying there especially now during this rainy season.

Some houses, particularly houses no. 675 and 676, situated adjacent to the edge of the slope have seen mud flowing into the perimeter of their properties. With continuous heavy rain, these houses would be inundated with mud flows into their houses from the slope, which is about 1 km long and rising to between 50 to 70 metres high.

"We are worried and jittery about a possible large scale landslide that we dare not sleep whenever it rains heavily. We are worried about our lives and the safety of our property," said Chan Kok Choi, resident of house no. 675, speaking on behalf of the other affected residents.

A number of the residents said that the root of the problem could be traced back to improper cutting of the slope back when Taman Indah Jaya was being developed, thereby causing soil erosion and landslides. The residents have complained to the relevant authorities to urge them to take immediate remedial action, including the MPs and assemblymen from Barisan Nasional, but to no avail. Now, they are resorting to bring their grouses to Stephen Wong Tien Fatt, the DAP's MP for Sandakan.

The landslide problem have persisted since a few years back, with the last serious incident occurring on January 29, 2011, when many houses (including one used as a kindergarten) were damaged from landslides and mud flow brought on by heavy torrential rain. It was fortunate that there was no casualty at that time.

"Now, we are not that sure if we can be just as fortunate, because the slope has slid nearer and nearer to the perimeters of the houses," said Wong.

Wong pointed out that the residents have complained to him about this problem even before he was elected as MP. He has since learned that the Public Works Department (PWD), since a couple of years back, had already proposed to the government to carry out a detailed geotechnical study and mitigation measures.

Last year in Parliament, Wong had personally asked the Federal Minister for Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government about the government's follow-up action to remedy the situation, as Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak had promised to look into this matter during his visit to Sandakan before the last general election. The response given to him was that the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) has applied for an allocation of RM1.5 million from the Sabah state government to appoint consultants to prepare a technical report to resolve the problem.

As a follow-up to the government's response, Wong wrote to various authorities, including SMC and PWD to inquire about the status of the allocation and to press them into action.

Wong has since learned that PWD had also applied to the State Ministry of Finance to carry out remedial works on a "Design-and-Build" basis, estimated to cost around RM40 million. However, until today, no concrete action has been taken.

"I have proposed that instead of just waiting for the RM1.5 million allocation for the technical studies, the government should take emergency action to temporarily address the imminent danger from the situation, because the lives and properties of the residents are at risk here. By the time the allocation for the technical studies arrives – which would only be confined to carrying out the studies and not the remedial works – it might already be too late for many residents," Wong lamented.

Therefore in the interim, Wong suggested that the government should at least undertake emergency measures to excavate and remove the earth which has since covered up the drains between the slope and the houses, so that rain water could flow freely without any obstruction.

"I had suggested for this to be carried out immediately, back in September 2013, way before the rainy season started. It is now January 2014 and there is still no action being taken. This is the least the government could do, pending a long term, permanent solution to be implemented," said Wong.

According to SMC, in November 2013, they received an allocation from the State government to carry out mud cleaning work at the drains, and that the cleaning work had been carried out 'recently'. However, Wong said he has received different feedback from the ground. The residents maintained that the drains are still blocked and the mud flows are getting worse.

Hence, Wong is very critical of the government's attitude in not taking this matter seriously.

"It's been 3 years since the last major incident occurred in January 2011, and yet there is not even an allocation for a technical study to be carried out, let alone remedial action. I hope the State government understands that with the rise in the cost of living in general and construction costs, in particular, in recent years across the state, any property damage – let alone physical casualties – would cause immense hardship to the residents. For most people, their houses are their biggest investment and most substantial property. A "People First, Performance Now" government should not be dragging its feet like that," Wong said.

Wong hopes the authorities will take immediate actions to at least implement the emergency measures, so that the residents could have a peace of mind at least during the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.

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KK crime index down 12%

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:33 AM PST

by Elton Gomes. Posted on January 18, 2014, Saturday

KOTA KINABALU: The crime index around the city centre has dropped by about 12 per cent or 217 cases, with 1,571 cases last year as compared to 1,788 in 2012.

City police chief ACP Jauteh Dikun said street crimes have also dropped by 17.61 per cent with 145 cases last year as compared to 176 cases in 2012.

"Last year, we achieved the Key Performance Index (KPI) that was set by the government by decreasing crime cases such as street crimes, burglary, illegal gambling activities and theft.

"Other achievements have also been achieved such as increased solved cases, raids on vice activities, cases charged in court and inspections during Ops Cantas.

"I believe such achievements could not have been made without the motivation and commitment showed by police officers and personnel and continuous support from members of the public," he said at the city police monthly gathering at the city police headquarters in Karamunsing here yesterday.

Jauteh said several programmes such crime prevention campaigns and community policing have seen positive impact on the public in combating crimes around the state capital.

"Without support from the public, we would not be able to achieve any of the KPI.

"As police have said many times, the public plays an important role in solving many crime cases.

"Crime prevention is not only the sole responsibility of the police but also the public at large and I thank them for their support and cooperation to the police force," he said.

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Power outage in Sabah, Labuan affects 500,000 consumers

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: The power outage that hit Sabah and Labuan at 11.05am yesterday, affecting about 500,000 consumers was expected to be rectified by last night, according to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) managing director Abdul Razak Sallim.

He said the SESB began carrying out remedial works at 12.15pm and as at 3pm, power supply in Ranau, Tawau, Labuan, Keningau, and Semporna had been fully restored while it was 70 per cent in Kota Kinabalu.

"Supply was fully restored in Sandakan at 2.35pm but was disrupted again and is being rectified," he said.

He said the SESB had yet to ascertain the cause of the outage but it was not due to insufficient supply.

"Before the incident this morning, the power demand status was 731MW and we were generating a capacity (availability) of 877MW, which meant we had a margin or reserve of 146MW.

"SESB apologise for the inconveniences that consumers had to face because of this incident," he told reporters here yesterday.

Meanwhile, Abdul Razak said it was the consumers' prerogative whether to seek compensation for losses as a result of the outage.

"We cannot stop them from doing so but they must adhere to all the procedures," he said. — Bernama

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Reconsider decision to close Giatmara centre — Shafie

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST

SEMPORNA: Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the GiatMara centres,

including the one in Selayang, Selangor, should not be closed for the interests of youths in the country to seek vocational training.

Although aware that the GiatMara Centre in Selayang occupied land belonging to the Selangor government, he said the cost of building the centres, the salary and allowance of the staff and trainees there were all borne by the federal government.

"We hope the Selangor government will not close the GiatMara Centre in Selayang to accommodate the needs of the young generation," he told reporters after presenting school aid from the Mara Education Foundation to 1,500 poor students here yesterday.

He said this in response to the Selangor government's move to reconsider its decision to close down the Selayang Baru GiatMara if the

management agreed to improve the existing facilities and operations.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the decision was in line with the state government's aspiration to ensure that the centre could offer skills training of high quality to the local residents in Selayang. — Bernama

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