MIRI: Five more villages with 95 households in Telang Usan will be able to enjoy 24-hour electricity once the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (Sares) project is complete.
Minister of Utilities Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said this was part of the ministry’s plan for 2021 — to light up the villages under Sares which are Long Seniai which have 30 households, Long Melangit (12), Long Kaho (20), Long Sengayan (20) and Long Pelanduk (13).
“The Sares project is an initiative by the Sarawak government through the Ministry of Utilities and implemented by Sarawak Energy Berhad through the allocation by the state government to supply 24-hour electricity to the residents in remote areas,” he said at the handing over ceremony of the Sares project worth RM35 million to 13 longhouses within the Telang Usan constituency at Long Pillah in Baram yesterday .
He said about 93 percent of the rural areas in Sarawak have 24-hour electricity; the remaining seven percent comprises 22,360 households.
“Therefore, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Open has approved the Sarawak Rural Electricity Master Plan with a special allocation of RM2.37 billion for 2019 and 2020.
“This will be able to increase the coverage of electricity supply among rural households from 93 percent to 96 percent,” he said.
In the master plan, Rundi said a total of RM600 million has been allocated for 2019 to 2020 to illuminate 400 villages involving 12,000 households under the Sares programme for the whole of Sarawak.
“For the 12th Malaysia Plan, the ministry will focus more on the construction of a delivery grid with substations at strategic locations.
“With the construction of the electricity transmission infrastructure as well as road access, the ministry will connect the Sares community to the main grid in stages,” he said.
