KOTA KINABALU, June 29 — The move to maintain the electricity surcharge exemption for domestic users in Sabah from July 1 to December 31 shows the federal government’s commitment to help ease the burden of the state’s people.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said it proved that all the plans and allocations announced by the federal government for Sabah previously had been implemented well.

“We are grateful because Sabah has also been included in that policy (electricity surcharge exemption)... in fact, we in Sabah have received an allocation of RM800 million a year to ensure the SESB continues to operate as usual.

“This is because the cost of SESB generation that is channelled is higher than sales to users, so we need that cost. However, we very much welcome the government’s efforts (surcharge exemption) for the sake of users in Sabah,” he told Bernama today.

Yesterday, the Energy Commission (ST) said in a statement that the electricity surcharge exemption for domestic users in Sabah and Labuan, with monthly electricity usage of 1,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and below, will be maintained from July 1 to December 31.

This was following the government’s decision today to implement electricity tariff adjustment under the imbalance cost pass-through (ICPT) mechanism in a targeted manner during the period.

The ICPT refers to a mechanism under the Incentive Based Regulation (IBR), which enables fuel costs to be adjusted every six months, based on global fuel price fluctuations.

Elaborating, Madius, who is also the Tuaran Member of Parliament, said SESB is also implementing the ICPT in cooperation with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

Thirty-three-year-old Mohd Asran Mohd Arif, an administrative officer of a state government agency, said he was relieved that the surcharge exemption had been maintained and described it as a good move in helping those affected by the current rise in the cost of living.

“Otherwise, surely the electricity tariff can rise and, thus, increase our daily costs. So, this is a good move but I hope the government will find ways so that the electricity tariff can be reduced or, at least, continue to be maintained to help the people,” he said.

Twenty-six-year-old Deiryll Jolisan, a convenience store assistant, hoped that efforts to help users in Sabah will not only focus on the cost of electricity surcharges but that attention is also given to raising the quality of electricity supply services.

“It’s good when the electricity tariff for users does not go up, but if the service is still the same, such as constant outages and power rationing when demand is high, then that is not good. So, I hope the government can look into that,” he said.

On May 2, the SESB said it had to implement power rationing in several districts to stabilise the state’s electricity grid system due to high demand during the current hot weather.

It said that the average demand for electricity supply during peak hours in Sabah is around 970 megawatts (MW), but the state recorded the highest demand for this year on April 26 at 1,029 MW. — Bernama