The plan to build a new power plant by Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) will be discussed to increase the electricity supply in Labuan at a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Fadillah Yusof said the proposed power plant, led by Petronas, will be a collaborative effort with the Sabah Energy Commission (SEC) and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB). The project is expected to be completed in 2027. “We will present the proposed document to the Cabinet for approval next week, the next phase will follow, when the technical team will work to finalize the letter of intent (LoI),” he said. told reporters when he visited the pipeline replacement site in Pulau Enoe here today.
Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Public Services, said that the technical team will include representatives from Petronas, Energy Commission, SEC, SESB and many government agencies in the state. “The objective is to ensure that the project is completed including distribution, production and monitoring of demand.
“According to Labuan legislator Suhaili Abd Rahman, the island needs at least 150 megawatts of electricity, but the current plan is to have a capacity of 130 megawatts,” he said. Fadillah also said that if electricity is sufficient for Labuan, it can be extended to benefit Sabah.
Given the technical nature of the project, he said, an expert committee must be created to solve any problem related to the proposed company. “It is expected that the work of the committee will be completed in September,” he said.
Earlier, Fadillah had details on various issues related to electricity in Labuan and SESB’s Patau-Patau power station. He said the proposed power plant is in line with the statement made by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his visit to Labuan in December.
Anwar has said that the federal government recommended that Petronas build a new power plant as a long-term solution to the electricity supply problem in Labuan.
