KOTA KINABALU, Jan 17 — The Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) power grid is experiencing a 155-megawatt (MW) electricity supply deficit due to the inability of two independent power producers (IPPs) in the state to operate.

Sabah and Labuan Grid System Operator general manager Adrian Mosigil said the two IPPs involved were Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd, which supplied 95MW of electricity, and Ranhill Powertron Sdn Bhd that supplied 60MW of power.

He said that as of this month, the SESB electricity grid has the capacity to supply 1,177.3MW of electricity in Sabah and Labuan, however, the usage demand during peak hours reaches up to 1,090.73MW per day.

"The inability of Kimanis Power and Ranhill to supply power during this period caused SESB to lose a capacity of 155MW of electricity, resulting in a critical decline in the electricity grid system’s generation reserve.

"The inability of each IPP to supply power to SESB will have an impact on the reserve margin, which is currently below 12 per cent, resulting in electricity supply rationing,” he said in a statement today.

Adrian said that Kimanis Power Sdn Bhd had to shut down for 14 days until Saturday (January 20) to make way for the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) inspection.

He said that Ranhill Powertron shut down its electricity supply last Sunday (January 14) due to high vibration issues in the power generation gear, and the repair work is expected to take up to six days.

"It is hoped that these IPPs will be able to supply electricity consistently as 80 per cent of the power supplied by SESB to consumers is purchased from these companies, while SESB has a power generation capacity of around 20 per cent,” he said. — Bernama