Sabah, Sarawak switch on electricity link, opening door to Asean power grid

 

The long-awaited Sabah–Sarawak power grid link has gone live, a key step towards a wider regional electricity network across Southeast Asia.

The 275kV interconnection allows power to flow between the two states, strengthening supply reliability in Sabah while positioning Borneo as a key stepping stone towards a fully connected Asean power grid.

The Asean power grid is a regional initiative involving some 11 Southeast Asian countries to interconnect national electricity systems and enable cross-border power trade.

The switch-on ceremony was held today at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu.

Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg said the interconnection reflected long-term efforts to build secure and coordinated energy systems for the region.

Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg

“By linking our two grids, we are creating stronger operational flexibility and supporting long-term development for both states,” he said, adding that the project builds on Sarawak’s experience in cross-border power cooperation.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor said the interconnection would help stabilise Sabah’s electricity supply while reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based generation.

“This will lead to a phased reduction in dependence on fossil fuel-based generation, strengthen Sabah’s electricity reserve margin, and further bolster investor confidence in the reliability of the state’s power supply,” he said.

Power exchange agreement

The project builds on groundwork laid in 2021, when Sabah Electricity and Sarawak Energy signed a long-term power exchange agreement under which Sabah agreed to import an initial 30MW of electricity from Sarawak once the grid link was completed.

The interconnection is enabled through the 275kV Lawas–Mengalong transmission line and forms part of a 326km grid expansion involving 881 transmission towers and related infrastructure.

Power exchange between the two states began on Dec 13 last year after both grid systems were successfully synchronised. Electricity is flowing from Sarawak to Sabah, with provisions for two-way power flows in the future.

The Sabah–Sarawak link is Borneo’s second regional power interconnection, following the Sarawak–West Kalimantan link commissioned in 2016. Sarawak has since been supplying around 190 to 230MW of electricity to West Kalimantan through that connection.

Together, these links form part of the emerging Borneo power grid, which is an effort to interconnect electricity networks across Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan as a regional sub-network feeding into the wider Asean grid.

‘Sabah power woes almost resolved’

Sabah Electricity CEO Yaakob Jaafar said the new supply has helped ease Sabah’s power situation, particularly on the generation side, where previous widespread load shedding was driven by capacity shortfalls.

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“On the upstream side, the generation, we are almost now mitigating this issue,” he said, adding that Sabah’s reserve margin has risen from about five percent last year to 14 percent currently.

He said the state is targeting a reserve margin of around 22 percent within the next two years, moving closer to the ideal level of 30 percent.

Yaakob said a healthier reserve margin allows power plants to undergo routine maintenance or scheduled shutdowns without disrupting supply, reducing the risk of large-scale outages.

However, he said daily supply interruptions linked to the distribution network will take longer to resolve, as they are tied to ageing infrastructure rather than generation capacity.

“Interruption will still be there, just reducing,” he said, noting that Sabah’s system average interruption duration index currently stands at about 180 minutes and is targeted to be reduced to 100 minutes by 2030 as network upgrades continue. - Mkini