SAMARAHAN, Sept 6 — Sarawak Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has dismissed reports that there is likely to be a power glut in the state with the coming onstream of the Bakun and Murum dams by the end of 2013.

He said the total installed capacity of both dams would come to 3,344 MW, which was barely enough to meet energy demands for investors.

“Based on the request by investors, it (electricity) is actually not enough. One smelter plant operator asked for over 2,000 MW. But I told them we couldn’t dedicate the electricity to only one smelter. We asked them to bring down their requirement.

“Even with the Bakun and Murum dams, it (electricity) is not enough. That’s why we will build new dams based on demand,” he told reporters here after handing over land titles to 136 recipients from Kampung Mang here today.

Awang Tengah, who is also the public utilities minister said, there would be a big jump in demand for electricity when the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) comes onstream.

Beside that, he said the state government also planned to export electricity to Indonesia, Brunei and Sabah.

He added that the technical study for the Limbang, Lawas, Pelagus and Baram dams had been completed.

“However, the building of the dams is based on demand,” he explained.

There will be 2,400 MW of electricity generated from the RM7.3 billion Bakun dam owned by Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, which is in turn wholly-owned by the Ministry of Finance.

A further 944MW will be added from the RM3.5 billion Murum dam, owned by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), by the end of 2013.

Sarawak’s current capacity is 1,300MW with demand at about 900MW.

Based on the projection by SEB, the state electricity utility body, industries from the SCORE are projected to start taking about 500MW in 2012 and close to 2,000MW by 2014.

Awang Tengah denied that the state government was using its power over the Bakun dam’s impoundment as a bargaining chip to demand a lower tariff.

“It (tariff negotiations) is not related to the approval of the impoundment,” he said.

On the proposal to buy over the Bakun dam, Awang Tengah said negotiations

are ongoing.

“It depends on the price. The federal government is studying the matter,” he explained.

Last month, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud revealed that the state government had plans to buy over Bakun. — Bernama