Two bills passed to address electricity crisis in Sabah

The Senate’s recent passing of two bills regarding renewable and sustainable energy is considered one of the best initiatives to solve the electricity crisis in Sabah.

Senator Noraini Idris lauded the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Act 725) and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Act 726).

She said the power to regulate the supply of electricity and renewable energy is now handed over to the state government.

“It will be a relief for the people of Sabah and it also proves the commitment of the federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to fulfil the terms of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” she told Bernama.

Both bills were passed by the Dewan Rakyat on May 25 and then by the Dewan Negara on June 22.

Noraini said she believed that with Sabah given regulatory powers, the state may be able to offer electricity supply at a lower tariff like in Sarawak.

“Incentives and rebates may also be given to industries that use solar energy,” she added.

Legalities yet to be resolved

It was reported recently that a special state assembly sitting is slated for Jan 3 next year to pave the way for Sabah to take over regulatory power of the state’s electricity supply.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor was reported to have said that Anwar had, in principle, given the green light for Sabah to take over regulatory control of its electricity supply on Jan 1, 2024.

Thus, he urged for coordination and cooperation by all parties to ensure all issues, particularly the legal process, can be resolved to meet the Jan 1 timeline.

He said among the steps required were approval from the Federal Cabinet to invoke and gazette Article 95C of the Federal Constitution to suspend the Electricity Supply Act 1990 (Act 448), Renewable Energy Act 2011 (Act 725), and Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011 (Act 726) in Sabah.

Senator Bobbey Suan, in the debate session on the bills, said the issue of electricity supply in Sabah had reached a critical level, with almost all major towns in Sabah experiencing serious power outages in May.

- Bernama

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