By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: The emergency shutdown of Petronas’ gas terminal on Wednesday disrupted gas supply to several power stations.
This forced Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (Sabah Electricity) to implement rotational electricity rationing in several areas across Sabah that same day.
Sabah Electricity’s Chief Operating Officer, Mohd Yusmanizam Mohd Yusof, said the Petronas-owned gas terminal underwent an emergency shutdown at 2.11 pm on Wednesday.
This situation disrupted gas supply to several power stations around Kota Kinabalu, forcing them to switch fuel from gas to diesel, which in turn caused the Sabah and Labuan grid to experience a reduction in generation capacity of 60MW.
The electricity rationing, which began at 2.38pm and lasted until 4.53pm, affected users in the areas of Pitas, Papar, Keningau, Kunak, Balung, and Tawau.
A second round of rationing was carried out at 6.38pm for the areas of Kudat, Pitas, Kota Marudu, Tuaran, Lok Kawi, Kimanis, Beaufort, Tenom, Nabawan, Beluran, Sandakan, Kunak, Semporna, Tawau, and Sebatik.
Full power supply was restored at 9.36pm.
Sabah Electricity understands the inconvenience caused to users during the power outage and apologises for the delay in notifying affected consumers.
At the same time, the company appeals for public understanding of the constraints it faces in providing a stable service to users.
Consumers can call the Sabah Electricity Careline at 15444, 088-515000 or WhatsApp at 019-852 5427, or through the Sabah Electricity mobile application.
