Sarawak Energy

Sarawak Energy is a vertically integrated electricity utility and energy developer based in Sarawak, Malaysia. Its activities cover power generation, electricity transmission, distribution, retail supply and the development of energy infrastructure. The company is the principal electricity provider in Sarawak and is one of Malaysia’s three major electricity companies, alongside Tenaga Nasional, which serves Peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah Electricity, which serves Sabah and Labuan. The organization’s institutional history reaches back to 1921, when an Electrical Section was established within Sarawak’s Public Works Department to oversee public electricity supply. In 1932, the Brooke administration created the Sarawak Electricity Supply Company to operate the public electricity system. That company was dissolved in 1962 under the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation Ordinance, after which electricity operations were reorganized as the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation, commonly known as SESCO. In 1996, Sarawak Enterprise Corporation Berhad acquired a 45 percent stake in the corporation from the Sarawak Government. SESCO was subsequently privatized in 2005 as Syarikat SESCO Berhad and acquired by Sarawak Energy Berhad, establishing the present corporate identity. Sarawak Energy’s generation portfolio is dominated by hydropower, supported by thermal generation. Its large hydroelectric assets include Bakun, Batang Ai and Murum, while the Baleh Hydroelectric Plant has been developed as a further expansion of the state’s renewable generation capacity. Thermal assets include gas-fired and coal-fired stations serving major industrial and population centers such as Kuching, Miri, Bintulu, Mukah and Balingian. The company operates a state transmission network using 275 kV and 132 kV infrastructure, linking major towns and electricity-generation facilities across Sarawak. Hydropower is central to the company’s long-term development strategy. Sarawak Energy presents reliable and renewable electricity as a foundation for economic development, industrial activity and improved access to power throughout the state. The utility also participates in regional power cooperation. In January 2016, it began exporting electricity from Sarawak to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, through a 275 kV interconnection. The project was described as Malaysia’s first successful cross-border power-trading project. Sarawak Energy’s role extends beyond conventional utility operations. It is involved in major dam and transmission projects, power-system expansion and the development of electricity supply for urban, rural and industrial customers. Its stated strategic direction combines energy security, renewable generation and economic development in Sarawak. Because the supplied reference material does not identify a current chief executive, detailed ownership percentages, an official website address or a complete current generation portfolio, those fields are left limited or unspecified in this dossier.

Sarawak Energy’s origins lie in the development of public electricity administration in Sarawak. In 1921, the Sarawak Public Works Department established an Electrical Section to manage public electricity supply. As demand for organized power services grew, the Brooke administration formed the Sarawak Electricity Supply Company in 1932. The company operated public electricity services during the pre-Malaysian period and represents the earliest direct institutional predecessor of the modern utility. Following political and administrative changes in Sarawak, the Sarawak Electricity Company was dissolved in 1962 under the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation Ordinance. Electricity operations were reorganized as the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation, generally known as SESCO. The corporation became the principal vehicle for managing electricity supply, generation and network development in the state. Its Malay name was subsequently rendered as Perbadanan Pembekalan Elektrik Sarawak or PPLS. A major structural change occurred in 1996, when Sarawak Enterprise Corporation Berhad acquired a 45 percent interest in the corporation from the Sarawak Government. This introduced a private-sector ownership component while the utility continued to perform its public electricity role. In 2005, SESCO was privatized and became Syarikat SESCO Berhad. Sarawak Energy Berhad then acquired the company, bringing the operating utility into the Sarawak Energy group and creating the corporate identity used today. The modern company developed as a vertically integrated utility, combining generation, transmission, distribution and electricity supply. Sarawak’s geography and dispersed settlement pattern required substantial investment in long-distance transmission and large generation projects. The resulting system includes a 275 kV and 132 kV state transmission grid connecting major towns and industrial areas with generating stations. Hydropower became the central element of the company’s generation strategy. The Batang Ai Hydroelectric Plant provides 108 MW of installed capacity, while the Bakun Hydroelectric Plant is listed at 2,400 MW and the Murum Hydroelectric Plant at 944 MW. These projects form the core of a large-scale hydroelectric system intended to provide comparatively reliable and renewable electricity for Sarawak. Thermal stations remain part of the portfolio, including gas-fired facilities in Miri and Bintulu and coal-fired facilities in Kuching, Mukah and Balingian. Sarawak Energy has also expanded beyond supplying electricity solely within Sarawak. In January 2016, the company commenced electricity exports to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, through a 275 kV interconnection. The project created a cross-border power-trading link and was identified as Malaysia’s first successful power-trading project. It also demonstrated the potential for Sarawak’s generation resources to support electricity demand in neighboring regions. The company’s stated vision links sustainable growth and prosperity in Sarawak with reliable and renewable energy. Its activities therefore combine the public-service responsibilities of a state utility with the development of major generation, transmission and regional-interconnection projects. The supplied reference material does not provide a complete account of later corporate developments, current leadership or the company’s latest operating statistics, so those matters are not expanded here.

• 2016

  Cross-border electricity exports begin

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Sarawak Energy began exporting electricity to West Kalimantan through a 275 kV interconnection.

• 2005

  SESCO privatized and acquired by Sarawak Energy

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  SESCO was privatized as Syarikat SESCO Berhad and acquired by Sarawak Energy Berhad.

• 1996

  Sarawak Enterprise Corporation acquires a minority stake

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Sarawak Enterprise Corporation Berhad acquired a 45 percent stake in the electricity corporation from the Sarawak Government.

• 1962

  Electricity corporation reorganized

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The Sarawak Electricity Company was dissolved under the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation Ordinance, and the electricity service was reorganized as a statutory corporation known as SESCO.

• 1932

  Sarawak Electricity Supply Company formed

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  The Brooke administration established the Sarawak Electricity Supply Company to operate public electricity supply in Sarawak.

• 1921

  Electrical Section established

  [1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  An Electrical Section was created within the Sarawak Public Works Department to oversee public electricity supply.

A state-linked, vertically integrated utility positioned around reliable electricity supply, hydropower-led renewable generation, regional connectivity and Sarawak’s economic development.

• Renewable electricity generation

  Hydroelectric power generation

  Hydropower is the defining part of Sarawak Energy’s generation portfolio. The company’s major listed hydroelectric facilities include Batang Ai at 108 MW, Bakun at 2,400 MW and Murum at 944 MW. The Baleh Hydroelectric Plant is identified as a further large-scale project, with listed capacity of 1,285 MW and commissioning planned for 2030 in the reference material. These assets support Sarawak’s emphasis on renewable electricity and large-scale grid supply.

• Gas-fired and coal-fired electricity generation

  Thermal electricity generation

  Thermal generation complements Sarawak Energy’s hydropower assets and provides dispatchable capacity for the state system. Listed facilities include the 99 MW open-cycle gas-turbine Miri Power Station, the 330 MW combined-cycle Bintulu Power Station, the 192 MW open-cycle Tg Kidurong Power Station, the 210 MW Sejingkat coal-fired station, the 270 MW Mukah Power Station and the 624 MW Balingian Coal Fired Power Station.

• Electricity grid services

  Transmission and distribution network

  Sarawak Energy operates the state electricity network that transports power from generating stations to towns, industrial users and other customers. The reference material identifies a 275 kV and 132 kV State Transmission Grid connecting major Sarawak population centers. The company’s vertically integrated model also includes distribution and retail electricity supply.

• Regional power trading · 2016

  Cross-border electricity supply

  Through a 275 kV interconnection, Sarawak Energy supplies electricity from Sarawak to West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The interconnection began operating for electricity exports in January 2016 and established the company’s role in regional power trading as well as domestic utility service.

• 2016

  Enter cross-border electricity tradingStrategy

  Background

  Sarawak Energy had developed a large generation and transmission system and established a 275 kV connection between Sarawak and West Kalimantan.

  Action taken

  The company began exporting electricity from Sarawak to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, in January 2016.

  Aftermath

  The interconnection created a regional electricity-trading link and was described as Malaysia’s first successful power-trading project.

  Source

• 2016

  Sarawak begins exporting electricity to West Kalimantan[1]Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  Sarawak Energy began exporting electricity from Sarawak to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, through a 275 kV interconnection. The project represented the company’s first cross-border electricity-trading operation and was described as Malaysia’s first successful power-trading project.

1. 1Sarawak Energyen.wikipedia.org