Friday, 12 February 2010 16:33
MIRI – The initial power supplied by the Bakun hydroelectric project in Sarawak needs to be first used in the state before being expanded to Peninsular Malaysia, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui said today.
He said that since the project was expected to begin transmitting power by early next year, there would be a gap in terms of waiting for the completion of the undersea cable project to supply electricity from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia.
2017 deadline Speaking to reporters here, he said the undersea cable project was expected to be completed by 2017 and until then, power from the Bakun project had to be used properly for the development in the state.
Chin was commenting on a recent concern over whether Bakun power would be sold to Tenaga Nasional Bhd for use in the peninsula as the electricity was needed to power two proposed aluminium smelters to be built in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.
"This smelter projects can take up the electricity that can be produced by the Bakun almost immediately when it is ready (to supply power)," he said.
The two smelter projects are those initiated by the joint ventures between GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd and Aluminium Corp of China Ltd as well as between Rio Tinto Alcan and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd.
Maximum power of 2,400MWChin said the Bakun hydroelectric project upon full completion would be able to generate about 2,400 megawatts of power through its four turbines.
However, the power generated from just one of the turbines would be sufficient for the initial operations of the two smelters, he said.Chin also said that his ministry would continue strategising with TNB and the Sarawak government in planning the power requirements in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah as well as to meet the needs of neighbouring countries.
Apart from Bakun, he said the Sarawak government had already planned to build several other major hydroelectric projects in the state to meet future energy needs.
Source: Malaysian Mirror
Link: http://www.malaysianmirror.com/homedetail/45-home/29955-sarawak-gets-first-crack-at-bakun-power
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