Baleh HEP project opens up remote parts of Kapit

KUCHING: The 1,285MW Baleh Hydroelectric Project ( HEP) being constructed by state- owned energy developer Sarawak Energy Berhad ( SEB) and scheduled for completion in 2025/2026 is opening up remote parts of Kapit Division, and connecting villages to the main town.

A total of four bridges linking Kapit town to the project site in Putai will be built as part of the alternative road package to Baleh HEP.

SEB in a statement said once all four bridges have been built, the linked road will provide access from Kapit to the dam site, and will benefit longhouses located along the route when spur roads are constructed.

The first of the four bridges is completed and scheduled for non- commercial public usage by today (Nov 1), with the other three bridges expected for completion by mid-2018.

Constructed over Sungai Usun, the bridge links existing logging roads on the south bank of Baleh River.

To maximise Sarawakian content and ensure more benefits accrue to the local community, four construction packages were awarded to local contractors including this alternative road package being constructed by ForHil Sdn Bhd from Nanga Gaat.

In addition to engaging with the local business community, SEB is also working with various stakeholders in Kapit to implement social investment programmes focusing on education, capacity building and skills development to ensure the resident population take advantage of employment opportunities opened up by the HEP project.

It is estimated that as many as 3,500 jobs will be available during peak construction.

These initiatives form part of SEB’s commitment to sustainable and socially responsible hydropower development to deliver additional benefits to local communities affected by Baleh HEP including processes in accordance with the guidelines of th eHydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol ( HASP).

The construction of Baleh HEP was endorsed by the state in 2016. Its main civil works was awarded recently and their part of the site works will commence in October 2018.

This project is expected to be fully commissioned by 2026.

The newly completed bridge crossing Sungai Usun, one of the four bridges linking the alternative road from Kapit to Putai, will open for public use this month.