Power supply to Kuching city has been fully restored while Miri and Bintulu experienced partial restoration as of 10.45pm tonight after a tripped circuit at the Kemena-Bintulu transmission line, early today, had caused a state-wide blackout.

NONE Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) corporate communication manager Ahadiah Zamhari told Bernama that SEB engineers and technicians were still working on restoration in other areas affected by the massive power trip.

However, she said the power supply in Sibu has yet to be restored, while Lawas was not affected and enjoyed uninterrupted power supply as it was not connected to the main electricity grid. 

Areas in Kuching that had power restored in stages were Poh Kwong Park, Stampin, Matang Jaya, Desa Wira in Jalan Batu Kawa and Satok commercial area as well as in residential areas of Miri.

The blackout which occurred at 5.40pm this evening caused traffic congestion over two kilometres at the Jalan Satok flyover and Jalan Tun Abang Openg junction and other roads in Kuching as traffic lights malfunctioned due to the blackout.

Poser over LNG plant

Meanwhile, a reliable source said the Petronas Liquedified Natural Gas (LNG) complex in Bintulu was unlikely to be affected by the blackout as it was devised to generate power supply internally through a steam turbine with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

He said the complex did not depend on external power sources, including those supplied by SEB through the main grid, hence, would not be affected by the blackout.

NONE Meanwhile in Bintulu, civil servant Yati Jaya told Bernama that power supply was fully restored at 8.15pm after the power outage hit the town at 5.40pm.

In Miri, the residents were without electricity until 8.30pm while the blackout had also earlier caused traffic jams in the city centre, especially near shopping complexes.

However, the traffic congestion eased a little around 7.30pm when many of the city folk preferred to stay at home.

In Limbang, however, there was minimal disruption around 6pm and the power supply later resumed.

As of 9.30pm power was partially restored in Miri City, especially in the residential areas of Permyjaya but Bintulu was hit by another blackout at 9.05pm.

- Bernama