5,000 in Telang Usan now have access to 24-hr renewable power supply
MIRI: Almost 5,000 residents from 556 households in 11 longhouses in Telang Usan now have access to reliable and renewable 24-hour electricity supply under the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (Sares).
The benefitting longhouses are Long Nakan, Logan Sibong, Long Ikang, Long Kerangan, Long Nen, Long Sayan, Long Kesseh, Uma Bawang, Long Kawi, Ba Kabeng and Long Itam.
A ceremony was held in Long Nakan yesterday to mark the completion of the projects and the lighting up of the longhouses.
They are part of 82 villages in the Baram area, planned to be connected to reliable and renewable 24-hour electricity supply by 2020 via solar or micro-hydro dams under Sares.
So far 38 longhouse and villages, involving about 4,000 households in Baram have been connected to electricity supply.
Sares is implemented by Sarawak Energy under the state’s Rural Transformation Initiatives, which aims to provide electricity to Sarawak’s most remote communities through an innovative government-community partnership model.
Launched in 2016 with a RM500mil budget, Sares is expected to connect electricity to 8,700 households in remote longhouses and villages by 2020.
Under Sares the local communities work together with Sarawak Energy and the contractors concerned to build solar-powered systems for their respective longhouses/villages. The villages were selected due to the challenges of connecting them to the power grid.
Each project involves the construction of standalone alternative systems, utilising solar technologies, and replace noisy and expensive diesel generator sets to meet basic household electricity needs with lighting, fans, a television, a freezer and a cooker.
Once set up, the system is handed over to the community which operates and maintains it with technical support from Sarawak Energy.
Officiating at the ceremony, Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said, “As of today, the state’s domestic rural population coverage of power supply was recorded at 91%. The state government through the Ministry of Utilities aims to increase it to 97% by 2020 and full electrification by 2025.
“We hope to achieve this target with the allocation of RM2.37 billion under the Rural Electrification Master Plan that was recently approved by our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.”
He also expressed confidence that through Sares, the target to provide 24-hour electricity supply throughout Sarawak including the most remote household could be expedited.
He commended the communities for their cooperation, hard work and dedication in helping to ensure the success of the projects in their respective longhouses.
Also present were Utilities (Rural Electrification) Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau, Baram Member of Parliament Anyi Ngau, Utilities Ministry (Electricity Supply) director Syed Fauzi Shahab, Sarawak Energy Vice President for Rural Electrification Dr Chen Shiun, representatives from relevant agencies and community leaders.
Sarawak Energy Group chief executive officer, Datuk Sharbini Suhaili in commenting on the initiative earlier said: “Sares is designed to be sustainable in the longer term and involves the community from planning through to implementation”.
“After the projects are completed and implemented, the Sares team continues to provide technical support and trains the beneficiary communities to operate and maintain the system,” he added.
Sharbini said in the future, with infrastructure development such as roads, these longhouses would be connected to the main power grid but in the meantime, Sares would enable these villages that are located far from the grid, to be able to have access to electricity supply.
