Warisan to set up Sabah Energy Commission

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah will set up a Sabah Energy Commission if it takes over the Sabah government from the Barisan Nasional after the 14th general election.

“Having our own energy body is in line with the aspirations of Sabahans to chart our own path,” said Warisan vice president Junz Wong.

He said the Sabah Energy Commission will operate under the state government and not the federal government as is the case now with the national Energy Commission playing the role of regulator in energy matters in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.

“In Sarawak, the State Electrical Inspectorate is the regulator. If Sarawak can have its own state regulatory body, there is no reason why Sabah cannot have the same,” he pointed out.

According to Junz, the Sabah Energy Commission will review all Independent PowerProducing Plant (IPP) contracts which he claimed are lopsided and do not benefit the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).

A Warisan state government will also establish a special commission to look into ways of curbing leakages and wastages with the aim of bringing down electricity tariffs as low as possible and enhancing service delivery and efficiency.

This commission will also investigate previous instances of leakages and wastages in the state's energy industry and track down those who are responsible for such leakages and wastages. Those responsible will face the music, he said. Junz said the Sabah Energy Commission will also review Sabah's energy situation and allocate resources accordingly where it is most needed, without having to refer to Putrajaya.

“We will also get SESB back for Sabahans, as the company rightly belongs to Sabahans.

“It will be placed under the Sabah government, the government of the people and will be run entirely by Sabahans.

“At the same time, we will also see how electricity tariffs can be brought down, through negotiations with industry players like Petronas.

“One thing we are looking at is proposing to Petronas that they pay for the fuel/gas grant to SESB,” he said.

With a Sabah Energy Commission and SESB under state control, he said the people of Sabah will once more have full control of the state's energy needs, and no longer have to hope for the so-called ‘kindness' of the Federal Government and IPPs.