TENOM PANGI HYDRO PLANT DID NOT CAUSE BEAUFORT FLOODS - SESB

19 JAN 2021

KOTA KINABALU: The release of river water through the Tenom Pangi Hydro Power Station was not the cause of floods in Beaufort as what has been circulated in social media every monsoon season, according to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB). Its chief executive officer, Datuk Ir Abdul Nasser Abdul Wahid, said the power plant was designed based on the Run-of-River scheme to generate electricity and has no storage scheme. “It operates by diverting river water through tunnels up to the hydro turbines at the power plant and the amount of water diverted is equal to the amount released back into the river,” he said in a statement today.

Abdul Nasser said the Diversion Water Gate (DWG), which looks like a dam at the station, is a fence structure designed to divert the river water in order to generate electricity. However, when the water level rises and overflows, the SESB would open up the DWG and release the excess water naturally into the river, he said. “The DWG will be opened in stages to reduce the flood risk and SESB will contact the local authority prior to opening the gates,” he explained.

He added that the SESB would continue to prioritise the safety of all quarters in the operation of the Tenom Pangi Hydro Power Plant, which has been operating since the 1980s and successfully utilised the sustainable power sources to supply electricity in Sabah. - Bernama