KUCHING, July 2: Kabong residents will enjoy more reliable electricity supply once the RM7.6 million upgrading works to its power system is completed by the end of October this year.
Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) Group chief operating officer Lu Yew Hung, in a statement today, said Kabong currently gets its electricity from 72km-long overhead lines from Sarikei via Roban Town.
He said this long stretch of lines was susceptible to external disturbances such as adverse weather conditions; animal intrusions; vegetation, such as tree branches touching the lines; and other technical issues.
Lu added that these factors, in addition to planned shutdowns necessary for the implementation of reinforcement works, contributed to the supply interruptions experienced by Kabong folk.
“We recognise and acknowledge the issue and assure the people of Kabong that we are prioritising reinforcement works to improve the 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,” he said.
He revealed that the high priority projects comprised construction of a 47.5km-long second overhead line from Kabong junction to Kabong with a total of 475 electrical poles; 5.5km of underground cable from Roban junction to Kabong junction; 3km of underground cables from the terminal pole to Kabong Bazaar substation; and the installation of a 2.5MVA transformer at the Kabong town substation.
“The completion of these 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 and upgrading works, he said other initiatives were 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 the 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, said Lu. — DayakDaily
