Sabah Energy Council Greenlights 723MW Power Projects for Medium-Term Demand

22 July 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Energy Council (MTS) has given in-principle approval to energy projects totalling 723 megawatts (MW) in capacity, aimed at meeting the state’s medium-term electricity demand.

At its meeting held today at Menara Kinabalu, the Council approved a mix of gas-fired and renewable energy projects, including power plants in Kimanis and Tawau (360MW combined) and hydro and wind energy projects (363MW combined), subject to conditional technical and commercial clearance.

Chairing the meeting, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor stressed that all decisions by the Council must be guided by balanced, prudent considerations.

“This approach aligns with the state’s economic growth, industrial development, and the public’s capacity to absorb energy generation costs at reasonable levels,” he said.

“With continued commitment and cooperation from all stakeholders, the MTS will remain Sabah’s foremost platform for coordinating integrated energy policy for the benefit of the people.”

The Chief Minister also noted that several fast-track energy projects approved by the Council last year are now yielding positive results. Notably, Sabah’s power generation reserve margin has increased from 10% in January 2023, prior to the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) assuming regulatory control, to 17% currently, and is on track to reach 30% by year’s end.

These developments have also contributed to a marked improvement in the state’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which dropped from 363 minutes in the first half of 2023 to 215 minutes in the same period of 2024, and further improved to 162 minutes in the first six months of this year.

Hajiji called for greater empowerment of state government-linked companies (GLCs) to enable them to take on a more significant role in shaping and supporting Sabah’s evolving energy landscape.