NEWS & UPDATES
High Priority RM7.6 mil Kabong Reinforcement Works to be Completed by End 2018
KUCHING, 2 JULY 2018, MONDAY: The people of Kabong will have improved reliability of electricity supply by the end of October 2018 with the completion of system reinforcement and improvement works costing RM7.6 million according to Lu Yew Hung (卢友云), Group Chief Operating Officer of Sarawak Energy.
“We recognise and acknowledge the issue and assure the people of Kabong that we are prioritising reinforcement works to improve reliability of supply to the area. We commenced planning for the projects in 2015 and are on track to mitigate the issue this year and minimise the risk of power interruptions,” Lu said.
Currently, power supply to Kabong is supplied by a long stretch of overhead lines of about 72km from Sarikei via Roban town.
The long stretch of lines is susceptible to external disturbances such as adverse weather conditions, animal intrusions, vegetation such as tree branches touching the lines and other technical issues. These factors, in addition to planned shutdowns necessary for the implementation of reinforcement works, contribute to the supply interruptions experienced by the people in Kabong.
The high priority projects comprise the construction of a 47.5km second overhead line from Kabong junction to Kabong with a total of 475 poles; 5.5km underground cable from Roban junction to Kabong junction; 3km underground cables from the terminal pole to Kabong Bazaar substation and the installation of 2.5MVA transformer at Kabong town substation.
“The completion of the projects will help mitigate the issues related to the long overhead lines supplying Kabong by providing a clean line from Sarikei, strengthen the network capacity to meet the increasing demand in the area and result in faster restoration time to the affected areas with the existing Roban line as a contingency circuit. This will also benefit other areas such as Gerigat, Sesang and Nyabor,” Lu explained.
On top of the major reinforcement works, other initiatives are also being implemented concurrently including the installation of more remote-controlled Auto Reclosers (AR) along the long lines for automatic restoration should the overhead lines experience minor line disturbances from weather, vegetation or animal intrusions. In addition, vegetation management along the long lines is also being intensified to minimise supply interruptions caused by tree branches especially during strong winds.
"Rest assured that Sarawak Energy is giving high priority to the projects to enhance the reliability of power supply to the people in Kabong and the surrounding areas," Lu concluded.
Moving forward, Sarawak Energy will also increase engagements with the community to keep them informed on the progress of reinforcements to the area.
