Timeline of major power outages in Malaysia
The country has experienced a number of major power outages since the 1980s, with the one occurring today throughout many parts of Peninsular Malaysia being the latest.
Malaysiakini recounts previous major blackouts and their impact on the country.
The country has experienced a number of major power outages since the 1980s, with the one occurring today throughout many parts of Peninsular Malaysia being the latest.
Malaysiakini recounts previous major blackouts and their impact on the country.
June 29, 1985
Transmission lines on the East Coast were tripped due to a sudden 600-megawatt load loss, causing a blackout which lasted several hours in 11 states.
The blackout occurred around 1.30pm, resulting in nationwide chaos.
It was reported that the trip involved two lines between Paka, Terengganu and Kampung Awah, Pahang, which affected all power stations connected to the national grid.
This incident led to the construction of a 275 kilovolt (kv) transmission line from Paka to Tanah Merah, Kelantan in 1986.
This became an alternative route for dispatching power to the grid from major plants in Paka and Kenyir, Terengganu.
July 31, 1992
A massive power outage happened in Peninsular Malaysia after a bolt of lightning during thunderstorms struck a grid with four power lines between Paka and Teluk Kalong, Terengganu.
The bolt of lightning took out 15 power stations on the West Coast around 3pm and affected all of Peninsular Malaysia except for three states – Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.
It took six to 10 hours for electricity to be restored in most of the affected states.
This incident has since been described as one of the reasons behind the privatisation of electricity in Malaysia, which led to a rise in tariffs.
Aug 3, 1996
One of the biggest power failures to have occurred in Malaysian history, this incident was due to the transmission line near Paka power station tripping at 5.17pm.
The trip caused a domino effect which led to all power stations in Peninsular Malaysia collapsing.
Affected states included Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.
While some reports said power was restored by 11pm that night, others said it took until 9.30am the next day for the supply to return to normal.
It was reported that this power failure incident caused businesses to lose up to RM123 million while Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) stocks on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (BSKL) took a nosedive afterwards.
There were also four deaths attributed to the power outage, as four children died in a fire caused by a lit candle used to cope with the blackout.
Sept 1, 2003
It was reported that the TNB northern transmission line had tripped at 9.58am, causing power outages throughout several states in Peninsular Malaysia, including Penang, Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, and Kedah.
Most of the electricity supply was restored within one to four hours. At the same time, there was an unrelated power outage in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
There were minimal disruptions to businesses as the power failure occurred on a national holiday when banks and most offices were closed.
Jan 13, 2005
Peninsular Malaysia was once again affected by electricity failure due to a trip at the Kapar switchyard at the Port Klang power station.
The blackout took place around 12.30pm, with the supply being restored after about three hours.
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan and Johor Bahru, among others, were affected.
June 27, 2013
A blackout was reported during peak hours around 5.36pm in Sarawak. It allegedly originated from the Bakun Dam causing a trip for the other generators across the grid.
At the time, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) had said the power outage was due to tripped circuits at the Kemena-Bintulu transmission line.
This incident resulted in severe traffic congestion in major cities in Sarawak.
Power supply was mostly restored on the same night.
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