NEWS & UPDATES

KUCHING
13 SEPTEMBER 2020

A four meter python that was electrocuted on an electrical pole caused an hour of power interruption in Mukah on Saturday. The python had come into contact with the conductors causing the supply interruption in the 6.05am incident.

Among the areas affected by the incident included Jebungan, Penakub Ulu, Kampung Teh, Kampung Teh Clinic, Kampung Tegak, Kampung Tabo, Nitsei Sago and its surrounding areas.

The technical crew who patrolled the 11kV overhead lines servicing the area found the python’s carcass hanging on the electricity pole near Penakub Ulu.

The team proceeded to remove the carcass and ensure the condition of the overhead line was still safely intact without any damage before supply could be fully restored to the affected customers. Supply was fully restored at 7.07am without any further incidences.

Wildlife disturbances contribute significantly to the number of power trips in Sarawak’s rural areas. From January up to July of this year, 70 cases of outages due to wildlife intrusion were recorded in Sibu, Kapit, Kanowit, Mukah and Sarikei districts. In most cases, monkeys and squirrels were the main contributors to these incidents.

Central Region Regional Manager Nazry Abdul Latip said wildlife disturbances were one of the challenges faced by the operations team serving the rural and interior areas of Sarawak.

“Our priority is to ensure continuous supply of electricity to all our customers. In cases like this, we will immediately deploy our technical team to investigate and restore supply as soon as it is safely possible. It is truly unfortunate to find these animals electrocuted by the high voltage cables,” said Nazry.

Nazry said Sarawak Energy is continuously looking into ways to mitigate the situation by installing anti animal-climbing guards at stay cables and carrying out constant patrols of the overhead lines at areas identified to have high wildlife presence.

“Our lines traverse forested areas which are natural wildlife habitats so we need to take a sustainable approach in managing the wildlife presence on our installations. The public can also help us by reporting wildlife sightings on our installations so the team can immediately act on the problem,” Nazry explained.

Customers can contact Sarawak Energy's 24/7 Customer Care Centre at 1300-88-3111 or email to customercare@sarawakenergy.com for assistance. Wildlife sightings can also be reported through Sarawak Energy’s mobile app “SEB cares”, available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The carcass of the python was found on top of the electrcity pole

The carcass of the four meter long python that caused the one hour outage in Mukah

File pic: A troop of monkeys congregating along the Matu and the 33/11 Daro Substation overhead lines

File pic: A monkey found on the 11kV overhead line near Sg Selidap in Bintangor