KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB), which is increasing the export of electricity to west Kalimantan, Indonesia, is expected to next sell power to Brunei and Sabah under the trans-Borneo power grid project.

Chief executive officer Sharbini Suhaili said SEB was working on power exchange agreements with Brunei and Sabah to pave the way for the export of electricity.

In earlier media reports, Brunei was said to have agreed to purchase 100MW from SEB, with an option to buy 50MW more.

“Currently, we are exporting between 150MW and 200MW to west Kalimantan,” said Sharbini.

Under an agreement with Perusahan Listrik Negara Persero (Indonesian utility body), SEB commenced an initial export of 50MW to west Kalimantan in 2016. This is expected to gradually increase to 230MW.

Sharbini said SEB was working on a partnership with Kalimantan on the possibility of jointly undertaking power generation projects such as the development of hydroelectric dams in the province.

SEB and Indonesia’s Northern Province of Kalimantan (Kaltara) had in 2016 formalised an agreement to work together on the province’s energy-rich resources for commercial and industrial development.

Kaltara, which is Indonesia’s 34th province formed in 2012, is reportedly blessed with abundant hydro, coal and gas resources.

“Our current power generation capacity is 4,700MW. We have three hydroelectric dams – Bakun, Murun and Batang Ai – with a combined (installed capacity) of 3,500MW,” said Sarbini in his presentation entitled “Hydropower development: affordable, renewable and reliable energy to energise sustainable transformation and opportunities” at the International Energy Week (IEW) 2018 here which ended on Friday.

IEW 2018 is Malaysia’s biggest three-in-one energy, petroleum and infrastructure event. It also featured an exhibition that attracted the participation of over 120 companies from 11 countries.

According to Sharbini, SEB’s generation capacity is projected to increase to 5,449MW by 2020 and further raised to 7,115MW by 2025 when the proposed 1,285MW Baleh dam comes onstream.

State-owned SEB paid the federal government RM8.1bil to gain full control of the Bakun dam (2,400MW) last year.

SEB had built the Murun dam (944MW) for RM4.1bil and is expected to invest RM8bil in the Baleh dam project.

Sarbini said SEB had approved funds to finance the construction of power transmission lines to link Kapit and Baleh to provide electricity to schools and rural settlements by 2020.

He said SEB was currently providing skills training to some 500 youths in the Baleh area to prepare them for jobs in the construction of the proposed 188m high concrete face rockfill Baleh dam.

Based on studies on Sarawak’s hydro potentials in the 1980s and 1990s, he said 14 sites were identified for dam construction and the state has the potential to generate some 20,000MW from clean and renewable energy resources.

He said besides the Baleh dam project, another smaller hydro dam would be built in Limbang Division in northern region.

Sarbini said big hydro dams provided the lowest cost of energy, adding that with renewable energy becoming a significant mix in SEB power generation, power consumers in Sarawak are enjoying the lowest average tariff in Malaysia.

“We (our tariffs ) are 40% lower than Peninsular Malaysia.”

He said SEB was working on micro hydro dams and solar projects under the rural electrification programme to light up settlements in the interiors by 2025. The current coverage under the programme is about 90%.

Sarbini said SEB was now spearheading a research and development programme on hydrogen and fuel cells, adding that the research team had recently gone on a study tour to China and Japan.

The programme will get RM10mil funding from the state government, according to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, who was in Shenzen, China last month to try out a hydrogen-powered bus.

Sarawak has ordered three hydrogen-powered buses which will arrive in Kuching soon.