Bakun Hydroelectric Dam Project [Archive]

bobdikl

September 24th, 2005, 06:32 AM

The Bakun Hydroelectric Project was originally conceived in 1993 by then-Prime Minister Mahathir. As part of the project, the largest dam in South East Asia would be built. This would also be the largest dam in Asia outside of China. It is expected to generate 2,400 megawatts of electricity once completed.
The project was to cost US$2.4 billion and was originally scheduled for completion is 2003. The date has since been revised to 2007. In 2004, engineering consulting firm J W Knowles, was hired to study the delays in construction.
Construction of the dam required the relocation of more than 9,000 of the indigenuous peoples who lived in the area to be flooded. Concerns were raised about such things as the relocation of people; amount of virgin tropical rainforest which had to be cut down (230 km²); possible dam collapse issues; increase in diseases with water-borne vectors such as schistosomiasis , opisthorchiasis, malaria, and filariasis; and sediment accumulation shortening the useful lifespan of the dam.
The purpose for the dam was to meet growing demand for electricity. However, most of this demand lies in Peninsular Malaysia and not East Malaysia, where the dam is located. The original idea was to have 30% of the generated capacity consumed in East Malaysia and the rest sent to Peninsular Malaysia. This plan envisioned 668 km of overhead transmission lines in East Malaysia, 643 km of underseas cable and 458 km of cable in Peninsular Malaysia.
Originally the dam was to have been built by a joint-venture between Ekran Berhad, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the government of Sarawak, Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco), and Malaysia Mining Corporation Bhd (MMC). Ekran launched a rights issue to finance the building of the dam, but it was undersubscribed and Ting Pek Khing (Ekran's chairman) had to put up $500 million to take up the unsubscribed portion as part of his agreement with the underwriters.
Ekran was a vehicle of Ting Pek Khing, himself a timber businessman. Neither he nor his company had built a dam before. The entire project was not tendered publicly, and instead was awarded by government contract.
The project was halted in 1997 in the face of the Asian economic crisis. When the project was shelved, the Malaysian government took back the project from this consortium. By this time, RM 1.6 Billion had already been paid out by the government to Global Upline for clearing of biomass, work completed on a coffer dam and relocation of the natives. The government had also turned over RM 1 billion for the purchase of 8 turbines.
In 2000 it was revived, but the transmission of power to Peninsular Malaysia was not part of the revived project. The new builders would be a consortium led by Sime Engineering Berhad. It targeted a completion date of September 2007. the total sum to be paid to this consortium was budgetted at RM 1.8 billion.
In May of 2004 Ting Pek Khing's name again was raised in connection with the project. A Ting-owned company, Global Upline, was awarded a contract to undertake "biomass removal" in the flood basin. This would allow him to harvest timber in the area without a separate permit. Issuance of timber permits has come under increased scrutiny due to political conditions and environmental concerns.
Usage of the generated capacity was to have been by a proposed aluminium smelting plant in Similajau, Bintulu, approximately 180 km inland from the dam. The project is a joint venture between Dubai Aluminum Co, Ltd (Dubal) and Gulf International Investment Group (GIIG), an investment fund jointly set up by Malaysian tycoon Syed Mokhtar, and Dubai-based international financier Mohamed Ali Alabbar. This plant was expected to consume 50% of the power generated. The government has agreed in principle that 60% of Sarawak Hidro, the entity which owns the dam, will be sold to GIIG.
Due to delays in dam construction, the plans for the smelter have since been shelved. The agreement for this smelter was originally signed in 2003 and some conditions have lapsed due to delays in construction.
Future plans for the dam include connecting it to an envisioned Trans-Borneo Power Grid Interconnection, which would be a grid to supply power to Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, and Kalimantan (Indonesia). There have been mentions of this grid made within ASEAN meetings but no actions have been taken by either party.
At the end of 2004, key partners in the Bakun hydroelectric JV (Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd, WCT Engineering Bhd and MTD Capital) will report quarterly losses due to the Bakun project. Discounting this project, they would all be operating profitably for the quarter. For Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd, this is the first time it will report losses since 1993. Ahmad Zaki estimates net losses suffered for nine months ending September 30 2004 at RM4.55 million. WCT has reported a net loss of RM13.08 million for the quarter ending September 30 2004 due to the Bakun project. MTD Capital reported a RM4.04 million loss in the quarter ending September 30 2004 and attributed it to "a major project undertaken by the company in joint venture with both local and foreign partners" without specifically naming Bakun. The lead partner in the project, Sime Engineering reported a profit of RM521,000 for the same quarter versus a profit of RM4.18 million for the same quarter in 2003. Declines in profit were attributed to cost overruns and project delays.

bobdikl

September 24th, 2005, 07:25 AM

In term of national energy security I understand I'm in a weak position to defend but ..I just have to express my view here for once and get over it...or instigate the forumers a little here :)
I oppose the project, I don't want Bakun dam to be built in a few remaining virgin forests. This is a very lazy and irresponsible solution. How could they so cruel to such a green and beautiful borneo island. I know it sould like a cliche again to ask them to seek other alternative instead as they never did before in Malaysia; Such as solar and wind which both are extreamly popular in europe and north america these days and are abundantly obtainable in tropical Malaysia along the coast lines. One of my dream is to build a fully solar house in Langkawi.

www.bpsolar.com

AFL

September 24th, 2005, 10:27 AM

James Foong

September 24th, 2005, 03:41 PM

There is one alternative that is very viable and cheap to implement. Its by harvesting wind energy into useable electricity. Malaysia has large coastline of sea. Wind tower can be installed on sea and land.

In California state alone, it has 3000 wind turbine towers. They planned to meet 10,000 by 2010. According to the World Energy Council, it has estimated that new wind capacity at worldwide will total 180,000MW to 474,000MW by year 2020, which equates to US$150 billions worth of business. As at the end of 2003, there were over 39,000MW worldwide, producing some 90 billions kWh each year, as much as a dozen large nuclear power plants could generate.

It does not only pollution free, but it benefits the economy also by reducing the "hidden costs" resulting from air pollution and health care. The hidden cost includes casualties, injuries, and cleanup cost of pollution.

bobdikl

September 24th, 2005, 05:00 PM

go solar, go wind-turbine! go hybrid car!

szehoong

September 26th, 2005, 09:27 AM

RM200 mil govt loan for troubled Bakun dam

Sep 26, 05 11:10am

Completion of controversial Bakun dam could be delayed by 18 months, while the government is to loan millions of ringgit to the main contractor to offset cash-flow problems.

The government has approved the loan of RM200 million to "ease the cash-flow situation" for the contractor, a consortium of seven companies, said the Edge business weekly, citing unnamed sources.

"The RM200 million is a government loan which will be extended with interest," said a source.

The Malaysia-China Hydro Joint Venture comprises six Malaysian companies forming 70 percent of the consortium, with China's Sino Hydro at 30 percent.

The dam has been slated to be completed by August 2007 but sources told the weekly the contractor had also asked for an extension of 15 to 18 months.

"The government is looking at offering an extension of somewhere between 10 months and a year," said a source.

Dogged by delays

The dam project in Sarawak, run by dam operator Sarawak Hidro, has been dogged with delays and setbacks since its approval in 1993.

Originally billed as Malaysia's largest hydroelectric power plant, the dam has a production capacity of 2,400 megawatts and was to supply peninsular Malaysia with power.

But the government abandoned those plans in 2001 and has since been mulling ways to scale down or restructure the project.

The Edge said the power produced by Bakun would only be used to supply Sarawak and possibly Brunei, which borders the state's north.

The weekly added that Sarawak Hidro had already decided to "mothball" four of the eight turbines to reduce capacity.

The dam, initiated by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, was taken over by the government and revived in 2001 after it was shelved during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis when the main operator fell into debt.

The dam, which involves flooding an area the size of Singapore, has attracted fierce criticism because of its harmful impact on the environment and the fact that 10,000 residents have already had to evacuate the project site.

The Bakun dam is currently some 80 to 100 metres high, about halfway to its completed height of 205 metres, said the weekly.
- AFP

redstone

September 26th, 2005, 12:25 PM

Where's the river in the pics?

szehoong

September 26th, 2005, 12:31 PM

^^ To built the dam they would have to divert the river mah.....so the river is flowing somewhere else loh ;)

James Foong

September 26th, 2005, 03:14 PM

szehoong

September 26th, 2005, 04:25 PM

This is the problem when a project is undertaken by an international consortium, comprising several companies. Too much conflicts of profit sharing. Poor estimating cause variation order to blow up. When things got delayed, a good excuse will be 'unforeseeable geological conditions'. Its work well for contractors nowaday.

Well......at first it is all local and only a single company and it didn't do well too. So what choice do our govt had but to open up to an intl consortium with multiple companies. Actually I don't think it is the profit sharing part because any financial conflict would be meeted out before the JV. Usually JVs are good as it is definitely stronger than a loner :D

Since we are all not too sure of the actual conditions there, we shouldn't speculate that 'unforseeable geological conditions' as an excuse. It could be genuine :)

James Foong

September 27th, 2005, 10:35 AM

At that juncture, govt. was desperate to form a local to lead the co. to get it done, but no locals was dare to lead the company, b/c of the huge risk involves. Only 1 stood up. Ekran took the opportunity b/c partly of his timber business related and good relationship with state n central govt. The more he chop down trees on affected areas, the heavier his wallet. It won without tendering even without any experience in building dam. His fall started when his issuance of right issues to finance the building of the dam was undersubscribed, clearly show no confidence from the public. Btw, he still choppin down trees in bakun area today, after he was awarded a contract to undertake biomass removal in the affected area.

Govt. awarded to intl consortium was primary for improving bilateral relationship btwn malaysia n china, rather for expertise transfer. From the partnership, we exchanged palm oils with their investment here. We want to show them the door for their WTO agenda. Cost overruns is the cause of profit tighten to loss, and lead to the blown up variation orders. Unforseeable geological conditions is a win-win excuses/situation for both parties, for maintaining good public image. Whether it is genuine or not, wouldn't the consortium at first has already prepared for the unforseeable scenario except natural disaster? :)

szehoong

September 27th, 2005, 10:57 AM

^^ Ekran was involved in quite a number of govt projects even as it didn't have the experience to do so. During the early 90s....everything is Malaysia Boleh! :D Seriously......we have so many companies in busineses that are alien to them. I believe that Ekran goes for the dam as it need to log the affected area but it also believe that as long as the money is there, they could also start building dams. All they need is to hire the right people. That is the 'in thing' in the construction industry even till today.

Well....we all know Ekran is there just for the timber but at least they are doing what they are doing best. Dams that doesn't have any biomass removed are an environmental hazard as it could lead to excessive Methane emission. At the same time the timber could be put to good use instead of rotting at the bottom of the lake.

To think that the govt for awarding the contract to an intl consortium lead by the Chinese for bilateral relations as the primary concern is a bit like looking on the surface. Seriously....if the govt is so concern over the bilateral relation, they should have done so with the Double Tracking project which angered both India and China.

The primary concern of the JV is because China had the technology and the know-how to construct dams cheaply and efficiently as the Chinese are the biggest dam-builders in the world today.

As I've said we shouldn't jump into conclusion at this point of time as we are not really too sure unless we are the inside people. Unforseen geographical factors are quite common in many construction projects even in KL. Did you know that the Petronas Twin Towers are shifted 60 metres prior to construction due to unforseen geographical conditions despite all the planning and testing of the site? As you could see, sometimes we shouldn't accused and point blankly at others if we are not absolutely sure of what's happening :)

Of course I am not saying that they are not totally guilty of not using 'unforseen geographical conditions' as an excuse for their fault but there is a possibilty it is the truth. ;)

Anyway do you still wanna see a local company doing the job rather than an intl JV? :D

James Foong

September 27th, 2005, 11:35 AM

I would like to c local co. to do the job. We hv the expertise, and if we dont hv it, we can hire somebody to do it. Just like our SMART project, it is a local consortium, but we hire the germany expertise to bore the first tunnel under the tuah TBM. Malaysians are sometimes memang boleh. This consortium of SMART is really smart. They formed two teams, 1 malaysian team with second hand Gemilang TBM machine, while a germany team with Tuah TBM. To avoid delays due to unforseeable geological conditions, the german team start first to bore. Any problems encountered will be deal with their expertise. The malaysian just follow up their expertise and apply their problem solving. From here, there is a knowledge transfer. And thats is why our Smart project can run smoothly even though unforseeable geological condition is a common thg in every construction site. The point of technology expertise is in fact not the crucial key thing that we allow china to be part of it. We r using this as a wise way to improve the business relationship thru nation partnership as like the double track project. The defered of double track project has nothing to do with india - malaysia relationship. If u dont hv the money to do it, how r u goin to continue it? Since we got a good deal from mmc n gamuda proposal for cheaper cost, wouldnt its a wise way to save our govt. money?

szehoong

September 27th, 2005, 12:29 PM

Building a dam isn't as same as the SMART project. Because a dam generate a steady income after it is built, therefore only an international company would wanna be part of the game. So it is not a matter of govt to govt relationship although it is also a win-win situation that favors that as well. You must know that it is upon our govt's effort to invite the Chinese company into the project in the first place to boost tech and know-how of building the dam. This is not the run-of-the-mill as it is the largest in the region. This is a well-known fact because 2 years back, many intl companies have JVs with local companies to revive back the Bakun project. Because a strong contender in the led by ABB of Germany pulled out of the bid that the Chinese consortium got the greenlight from the govt. The ABB proposal follows the original Bakun concept of having undersea cabling to the peninsular ;)

The Smart project is a totally different senario all-together. Although I am aware of the smart partnership and tech transfer (I personally know some people working there), the building of the Smart tunnel is similar to the twin towers where foreigners are leading the construction ahead thus the locals would learn from em. But building a dam is different as it involves a bigger scope and the builders are the stakeholders (as in Bakun's case).

OUr country's trade with China is strong. Business relationship are met if there is demand and supply not thru huge megaprojects. The double-tracking project too firstly seeks India's expertise in building railway tracks cheaply and efficiently. Then comes political. But the sudden appoinment of Gamuda MMC JV angered the Indian govt because IRCON did a lot of preliminary work already before being dismissed. It is a very bad move. Although the local JV is cheaper, we did not honour out words. It is like going to a shop buying something and you want it wrapped. Then the sales assiastant wrapped the item for ya, keyed in the price on the cash register and suddently you said you don't wanna buy. It is very very rude and I do not blame the Indians for getting annoyed over this issue. Had this happen to a Malaysian company elsewhere, our govt too would be unhappy and that is when politics steps in. So initially it is due to economic and technology reasoning for any project to be undertaken by who before politics. ;)

Yea....like you've said much earlier, a consortium of different companies irregardless if it is local or not would sometimes have squabble over the finances. But we all know that only a JV or a consortium is feasible in the Bakun case. ;)

Of course I would be happy to see a local company doing the job but I dun think any local company could do it alone. The Smart project like you've pointed out is a JV. There could also be a possibility of a financial squabble and excuses could have been made but it did not. So maybe such thing did not happen at Bakun and it is indeed a pure geological factor?

As 'unforseeable geographical condition' is a common thing on every construction site as you've mentioned, not all construction is so lucky. Maybe the Bakun project did encounter such problem. Maybe it did not. We would never know unless there is a credible source so no pointing fingers there now :D

Oh and BTW, our govt had allocated some fund for the double-tracking project and preparations are well underway when it was undercut by Gamuda MMC JV. So the money is there. Of course since our country changed its administration, the priority is gone liao too lah :D But like I've said earlier, it does anger the Indian govt because one of its state company is hurt :(

James Foong

September 28th, 2005, 08:23 AM

I cannot comprehend that unforeseeable geological condition can be accepted as a legitimate reason for delay. Is our govt. accepted this risk in every govt. projects? Perhaps, this bakun project is being exempted because it stands as a national mega project. It is very difficult to ascertain that this reason is legitimate or not because we don’t know whether the govt. has already stipulate the risk into the clause of the agreement. ;) If govt. can accept this reason as a risk, then this issue is not an argument. I think it would be a disaster if govt. accepts this reason from any contractor for delay. Imagine when a govt. school project is delayed and to avoid heavy day penalty, contractor would use this as a legitimate reason to avoid the penalty. Whether it is genuine or not, a contractor can comes with many logic ideas to prove that is a valid reason. ;)

Your inclusion of petronas case gives another good example, together with SMART project that this problem can be handled well. Petronas case did not cause a delay nor do they want it to be delay, even though the problem was discovered before the foundation stage started. Both projects clearly show that this reason is unacceptable. Of course you do not want to expect your structure is halfway built, and suddenly u discovered the foundation soil is unstable. ;) Bakun project is already started since 1996, and if they encountered such problem, it would be already work out before the main dam can be started. The new/current consortium would not plan a schedule with a time frame without considering many worst scenarios to happen. They cannot afford to lose >RM 1millions daily heavy penalty just for the delay. It is very critical for the contractor during the tendering phase to estimate the required time to handle all these unforeseeable problems. Consequently, the construction time period they had promised/obliged under the agreement is after all under their full responsibility. Due to the fact that this is a public sensitive project, the govt. might share the risk initially to avoid future embarrassment. As far as I see, by given the extension of loan and time, the consortium ll be very happy to run away from the daily penalty charge. However, it is a win-win situation for both parties. :)

forrestcat

November 27th, 2006, 05:12 PM

November 27, 2006 21:14 PM

M'sia To Transport 4,000kw To 5,000kw Of Electricity By 2014

PETALING JAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will transport up to 4,000 to 5,000 kilowatts (Kw) of electricity to Peninsular Malaysia from the hydro-power generation plant in Bakun and the proposed Murump and Baleh plants in Sarawak via cables by 2014.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, said the cables, which would cost RM9 billion, comprised two parts -- the 680km cable from Rejang River to the nearest coastal point of Peninsular Malaysia and the 670km submarine cable under South China Sea to Ulu Sedili, Johor.

Dr Lim told reporters this after opening the 2006 International Energy Conference for Sustainable Asia and introducing the National Suria 1000 Programme at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre here Monday.

"Our total hydro-generation today is only about 19,000 megawatt (MW), and there is 20,000MW available in Rejang River, Sarawak. So the obvious thing to do if we are going to produce electricity in a big way is (through) hydro-power generation," he said.

He said his ministry, which chaired the Committee on Electricity and Tariff Planning Development, would meet on Dec 8 to discuss the proposal to build two more hydro-powered generation plants in Murump and Baleh.

"We will seek approval from the prime minister to invest RM9 billion on the cables. The committee will also look into ways to solve the Bakun issue which is expected to be completed by 2009 and the Sarawak State Government's request to set up an aluminium-smelting plant," he said.

Other members of the committee are Ministry of Finance, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and the Energy Commission.

Dr Lim said electricity was cheap in Bakun but when it travelled and landed in Peninsular Malaysia, the cost may increase.

"We are trying to keep the cost below at 20 sen per kilowatt hour. We have to work out the requirements and the number in terms of megawatts and cost in terms of ringgit and sen.

"But coming so far from Sarawak, that means we have to invest in big cables. It is all economics, so we have to work out whether it is worthwhile but most certainly it would be after 2014 and beyond," he said.

-- BERNAMA

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
RM9 billion for the cables...!!! I think M'sia could build several nuclear plants with that?

kuchingbite

November 27th, 2006, 06:03 PM

forrestcat

November 28th, 2006, 05:34 AM

Nevertheless, with Malaysia's oil reserves depleting,this cable is actually a positive long term solution to our future energy needs.It is a sacrifice Malaysians must be willing to bear for our children's future.

Lastresorter

November 28th, 2006, 08:03 PM

Can we actually adopt the clean and safe solar energy since we have scorching sun all year-round? Maybe it's time that we look for other alternatives.

szehoong

November 29th, 2006, 03:49 AM

November 27, 2006 21:14 PM

RM9 billion for the cables...!!! I think M'sia could build several nuclear plants with that?

Exactly, RM9 billion can build another Bakun hydroelectric dam in Peninsular Malaysia. The gov of Malaysia is truly bolehkah.

First of all, Malaysia signed some treaty or some agreement that the country would be a nuclear-free zone and that includes civilian usage. I remember we all leanred this during our secondary school or something. ;)

Secondly the rivers in Peninsular Malaysia do not have the rapid nor the volume to generate the electricity needed for a huge hidroelectric dam. This fact are widely reported in many articles.

I guess we all could do a bit of reading first before sarcastically condemning our govt's actions. Although there are many controversies surrounding the Bakun project, we still gotta be informed before criticizing em :yes:

szehoong

November 29th, 2006, 04:06 AM

Can we actually adopt the clean and safe solar energy since we have scorching sun all year-round? Maybe it's time that we look for other alternatives.

Yea.....precisely! :okay:

However it would take a lot of effort and money to do that and only the govt and our dear oil companies have such political and economic clout and ability to do so.

Photovoltiac cells/panels are expensive. And they generate very little electricity in relation to thier size. Remember the BP petrol station at KESAS Highway? It had its entire roof covered with solar cells and yet it only generates about 20% (if I remember correctly) of its total electricity needs and that is on a sunny day ;)

Perhaps the govt could encourage the use of another kind of energy saver which is the solar water heater. Since water-heating consumes a lot of electricity, these solar water heaters saves quite significant amount of energy. There are even an Aircond brand (I think it is York) which uses the hot air its compressor generates to heat up water. These are the little energy savers that those whom could afford em uses. :)

forrestcat

November 29th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Wind power generation also too expensive and have many other impacts such as killing local birds plus require expensive maintenance.

Malaysia do not have enuff $$$ or technology to adopt solar or wind energy.

TYW

December 9th, 2006, 08:30 AM

First of all, Malaysia signed some treaty or some agreement that the country would be a nuclear-free zone and that includes civilian usage. I remember we all leanred this during our secondary school or something. ;)

it is called South East Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ). actually using nuclear energy for generating electricity is allowed ;)

nazrey

January 9th, 2007, 07:45 AM

Wanton land clearing around Bakun, claims rep
Tuesday January 9, 2007
By STEPHEN THEN
Thestar

MIRI: Forests and native customary land as far as 100km from the Bakun hydroelectric dam site in central Sarawak are being bulldozed and cleared for all kinds of commercial and agriculture development.

Alleging this, Kidurong state assemblyman Chiew Chin Sing said the land clearing was excessive.

“This is a worrying development. It seems the state government is bent on opening up every area stretching from the RM6bil Bakun project site to Bintulu town, which is some 150km away,” he said.

He claimed that the latest incident of land clearing took place last Thursday, involving a longhouse known as Rumah Nyawin along the Bakun-Bintulu road. He said the state Land and Survey Department bulldozed it, leaving more than 100 native people homeless.

Checking with department officials, he was told they had to bulldoze the longhouse as the residents there did not have land titles.

“The entire Bakun-Bintulu stretch is being aggressively opened up for all kinds of commercial projects, from timber logging to oil palm plantations to agriculture projects,” he told The Star.

Chiew, who is state DAP deputy chairman, said more than 300 uniformed workers from the department as well as the police and the army took part in demolishing Rumah Nyawin.

“The residents had applied for NCR land title many times but their applications had been rejected. Now, they have lost everything,” he added.

A check with the state Land and Survey Department confirmed that it has received directives to demolish Rumah Nyawin to pave the way for certain agencies to move in and start agricultural projects.

forrestcat

January 21st, 2007, 01:48 PM

January 21, 2007 18:52 PM

S'wak-Peninsula Undersea Cable Project On, Says Keng Yaik

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- The Government is reviving the undersea cable project to supply electricity from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said.

Declining to say when the project would start, he said it would be completed by 2012, at the earliest.

He said it would take at least five years to install about 700 kilometres of transmission lines and to lay 670 kilometres of undersea cables from Bakun to Ulu Sedili in Johor.

"Yes, it has too. Sooner or later it will be on. It's part of our planning to bring in hydro power," he told reporters after chairing the Gerakan's central committee meeting here today.

Dr Lim, who is also Gerakan president, was asked if the Government was reviving the project, estimated to cost between RM9 and RM10 billion. If carried out, it could be the world's longest undersea cable project.

The Government is trying to bring cheaper hydro-electricity to the peninsula as it wanted to diversify Malaysia's energy mix from an over-dependence on gas (over 70 per cent) to increased emphasis on renewable energy sources like hydro-power.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the utility giant, is expected to phase out its ageing gas and coal power plants by 2012.

According to hydrological studies made in the 1980s, the Rejang River in Sarawak, where Bakun is located, is capable of generating 20,000MW daily.

Dr Lim said: "It only make sense for the undersea cable project to be revived and to be carried out as the country is now moving towards using more electricity generated from hydro-power."

He said: "No more new power plants will be built. The last is in Jimah (Negeri Sembilan) and in Tanjung Bin (Johor) which are coal-powered.

The undersea cable project was first mooted in 1996 together with the Bakun hydro-electricity power project but was howled down by the Asian financial crisis of 1998.

Subsequently, the Government revived the Bakun project in 2003, but minus the undersea cable.

Over the past few weeks, there have been reports saying one of the Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) -- Sime Darby Berhad -- is set to win the contract to lay the undersea cables and to take over ownership and management rights of the 2,400MW Bakun Hydro Dam project.

Currently, Sime Darby is the project's main contractor.

The Bakun project is owned by the Ministry of Finance Inc which holds majority stake in the Bakun Hydro-Electric Corporation Sdn Bhd.

However, there has been no announcement on the matter from the Government todate.

-- BERNAMA

Subangite

January 21st, 2007, 02:51 PM

^^ Great news!!

James Foong

January 21st, 2007, 03:49 PM

According to people working in the project, bakun project is a fucked-up project which caused the govt. money goes into the drain. Initial soil investigation report by a local consultant shows there isn't much limestone rocks (which is fragile and unstable) beneath the dam during the pre-construction period. Unfortunately, site reveals there is a major flaw in the report which they discovered many limestone formation beneath the dam. As the result, the contractor has to dig it deeper and source 4 more rocks to backfill it. To add to the rising cost, the source of getting rocks is far away, which in turn causing more money. If they hv a reliable report in the first, they would have made a better decision on the dam site position.

nazrey

May 13th, 2007, 03:21 PM

Sime Jumps on Speculation It Will Take Over Bakun Power Project
Updated : 11-05-2007
Media : Bloomberg
Story By : Chan Tien Hin

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of Sime Darby Bhd. jumped on speculation the company is close to winning Malaysian government approval to take over the $2.6 billion Bakun Dam hydroelectric power project in Sarawak state and sell electricity for 30 years.

``There've been rumors Sime will get the Bakun dam concession,'' said Jason Chong, who helps manage $600 million at UOB-OSK Management Sdn. in Kuala Lumpur. ``It will be another area of growth for Sime,'' he said.

Sime, based in Kuala Lumpur, rose 40 sen, or 4.4 percent, to close at 9.55 ringgit. It earlier jumped as much as 6.6 percent, its biggest one-day percentage gain since Dec. 7.

A takeover of the Bakun dam by Sime, which is leading a merged group of plantation companies called Synergy Drive Sdn., will turn the enlarged group into a ``natural resource play,'' giving it long-term cash flow with minimal risk, said Leow Huey Chuen, an analyst at UOB-Kay Hian Malaysia.

Sime may also win approval to build a 9 billion ringgit ($2.6 billion) undersea cable connecting Sarawak to the peninsula, said Leow. She expects Sime to win approval by the second half of the year or earlier, she said.

Sime said in December it's interested in buying a stake in the Bakun hydroelectric project from the government and lead a group to build the undersea cable.

Putri Rafidah Megat Khas, a Sime Darby spokeswoman, said the company doesn't comment on speculation.

travellator

July 30th, 2007, 06:06 PM

Rio Tinto Holds Talks on Malaysia Aluminum Venture (Update1)

By Chanyaporn Chanjaroen

July 30 (Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group, the world's third- largest mining company, said it talked with a number of parties about a possible partnership for an aluminum smelter to be built in Malaysia.

Rio hasn't decided whether to go ahead with the project and wouldn't identify the potential partners, spokesman Nick Cobban said today in a telephone interview from London, where the company is based. It also talked to the Malaysian government and the state government of Sarawak, where the plant would be built.

``We've a great belief in the aluminum industry in the medium to long term,'' Cobban said.

He added that a smelter in Malaysia would benefit from demand in China, the world's largest consumer of the lightweight metal. Aluminum, used in beverage cans, aircraft and cars, has more than doubled in price over the past five years on the London Metal Exchange.

Cobban declined to comment on a report today from the Malaysian Reserve, a business newspaper, that Rio will sign an agreement with Malaysia's Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd. in August to build a $2 billion smelter. Kuching, Sarawak-based Cahya Mata corporate communications manager Eda Ahmad didn't answer a call to her mobile phone and didn't respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

Shares of Cahya Mata gained 11 percent today to close at 2.97 ringgit, the highest since October 2000, valuing the company at 978.45 million ringgit ($282.3 million). The company and its partners including China's Luneng Group Co. submitted a bid to the government to build the smelter, it said Dec. 23.

Construction Date

Rio gained 105 pence, or 3.2 pence, to 3,443 pence as of 2 p.m. in London. The stock dropped 12 percent last week.

Construction of the smelter will start next year and be completed in 2010, the Malaysian newspaper said, citing people it didn't identify. The agreement may be signed by the first week of August, the newspaper said.

Smelter Asia Sdn., controlled by Malaysian businessman Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, started talks last month to become part of the Cahya-Rio venture, the Reserve said. The 1.5 million-ton-a- year smelter in Sarawak will need at least 1,200 megawatts of power, the newspaper said.

Power supply would come from the Bakun dam, Cobban said. Bakun will have an installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts and the power plant will start operations in October 2009, the Bernama news agency reported March 28.

nazrey

August 4th, 2007, 08:16 AM

TheStar (http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/3/business/18484376&sec=business)

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/8/3/business/b_12dam.jpg

An artist’s impression of the Bakun Dam. The RM9bil undersea power cable project
is scheduled to transmit power from the dam to the peninsula from 2014

nazrey

August 29th, 2007, 06:26 AM

Work on Bakun dam going well
August 29 2007
BusinessTimes

Sime Darby's group chief executive says the dam structure of Malaysia's biggest infrastructure job in Sarawak is 92 per cent completed

THE more than RM5 billion Bakun hydroelectric dam project, Malaysia's biggest infrastructure job in Sarawak, is 75 per cent built and due for completion by end-2009.

Sime Darby group chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that work is progressing well with the dam structure 92 per cent completed.

On its intention to build a RM15 billion submarine project to lay down 700km of undersea power cables linking Bakun and Yong Peng, Johor, Ahmad Zubir said, "We have expressed our interest and we are now awaiting the Government's decision."

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) confirmed in February that it was working with Sime Darby on a feasibility study to transport power from Bakun to Peninsular Malaysia.

The Bakun dam, which is the largest in the country, can generate 2,400 megawatts (MW) of power, of which 1,600MW will be supplied via submarine cables to TNB in Peninsular Malaysia.

Around 670km of submarine cables will be contracted out on a turnkey basis by a contractor believed to be led by Sime Darby's unit Sime Engineering Bhd.

Sime Engineering also leads a seven-member consortium to build the dam under the Malaysia-China Hydro Joint Venture, the main contractor for the Bakun hydroelectric dam. - By Zaidi Isham Ismail

nazrey

June 28th, 2008, 08:22 AM

New roads to link hydro dams in Sarawak
Wednesday May 14, 2008 MYT 12:26:32 PM
By JACK WONG
TheStar

KUCHING: Sarawak will build some 220km of new road to link to the sites of four major hydroelectric dam projects earmarked for development.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said the Federal Government had approved these road projects within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewal Energy (SCORE).

''These proposed road projects will provide access to the dam sites to enable the hydroelectric power to be tapped and transmitted to the country,'' he told the state assembly on Wednesday.

Jabu, also state Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister, said the four proposed dams were Murum (900MW) and Baleh (1,400MW) in Kapit Division, Baram (1,000MW) and Limbang (capacity not stated) in northern Sarawak.

He said the proposed 62km access road project to the Murum dam site had been given priority as the proposed dam was targeted to be operational in 2013.

Tenders for the Murum dam project will be called shortly.

Jabu said the proposed access road to the Baram dam site would be 64km long while that of Baleh and Limbang dam sites 73km and 19km respectively.

He said the Federal Government had also approved the construction of a proposed 151km access road to Ng Merit coal mine area in Kapit Division.

''The proposed road would provide a transportation line to enable the coal extracted to be transported out via Tatau/Sangan Road or via river through Batsang Tulie, Kapit.''

He said another 64km road would be built in Kapit Division to enable the development of a proposed rural growth centre.

''The implementation of these six road projects would also form a road network linking many longhouses and village settlements, schools and clinics in the interior areas,'' he added.

Jabu said the completion of these roads would enable land to be opened up for development to improve the livelihood of the local villagers.

He said the proposed implementation of several bridge projects in the coastal areas would be delayed to allow more funds to be channelled to the road projects.

nazrey

June 28th, 2008, 08:23 AM

Sime Darby pulls out of Bakun project
26-06-2008:
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd has pulled out of the Bakun hydroelectric project, saying that the project economics do not fit in with the group’s business strategy.

Sime Darby said that it has already informed the government that it had decided not to take up the equity interest in Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd (SHSB) nor to participate in the development of the High Voltage Direct Current transmission link (HVDC Link) to supply electricity from the Bakun project in Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia.

“Our board is of the view that the project economics do not fit in with our business strategy. We are withdrawing our proposal to take up an equity interest in the project but will continue in our role as a contractor to complete the construction of the dam,” said its president and group chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid.

He said the decision was taken after a thorough review of the project.

Meanwhile, Bernama cited the Ministry of Finance as saying in a separate statement that the government will take an alternative measure to continue with its project to supply electricity to the peninsula.

“Considering that Malaysia is still facing global challenges where the price of fuel has continued to go up and its supply remaining uncertain, the government will continue with its project to supply electricity from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia. This is in the interest of the country, especially the assured supply of electricity,” the ministry said.

In November 2007, Sime Darby received letters of intent from the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department advising that the government had given an in-principle agreement for Sime Darby to hold a majority stake in SHSB, the owner of the Bakun Dam, and the company developing the HVDC Link (Trans Co).

The letters of intent allowed Sime Darby to begin detailed discussions on the cost of the undersea cable project as well as outline tariff proposals to Tenaga Nasional Bhd.

Sime Darby was supposed to hold a 60% stake in SHSB with Tenaga and the Sarawak state government holding 20% each. In Trans Co, Sime was also supposed to hold 60%, Tenaga 20% and Ministry of Finance, 20%.

The cable project would have involved laying two 700km submarine cables from Sarawak to Johor. The first cable was expected to have been ready for transmission by 2013 and the second by 2015.

The Bakun Hydroelectric Project is located in Sarawak, Malaysia on the Balui River. As part of the project, the tallest concrete-faced rockfill dam in the world would be built. This would also be the largest dam in Asia outside of China. It is expected to generate 2,400 megawatts (MW) of electricity once completed.

The purpose for the dam was to meet growing demand for electricity. However, most of this demand said to lie in Peninsular Malaysia and not East Malaysia, where the dam is located. Even in Peninsular Malaysia, however, there is an over-supply of electricity, with Tenaga Nasional Berhad being locked into unfavourable purchasing agreements with Independent Power Producers. The original idea was to have 30% of the generated capacity consumed in East Malaysia and the rest sent to Peninsular Malaysia. This plan envisioned 730 km of overhead HVDC transmission lines in East Malaysia, 670 km of undersea HVDC cable and 300 km of HVDC transmission line in Peninsular Malaysia.

Future plans for the dam include connecting it to an envisioned Trans-Borneo Power Grid Interconnection, which would be a grid to supply power to Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, and Kalimantan (Indonesia). There have been mentions of this grid made within ASEAN meetings but no actions have been taken by any party.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

nazrey

August 12th, 2008, 04:00 PM

Bakun Project Progressing Well, Says Nor Mohamed
August 12, 2008 20:50 PM

CYBERJAYA, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- The Bakun Dam project is in progress and will not be delayed, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said.

"We are discussing with the Economic Planning Unit and other government agencies, no final decision has been made yet," he said after the official launching of the SME Technopreneur Centre II here Tuesday.

State owned Sarawak Energy Bhd on Monday announced that the company, together with Sime Darby Bhd, had mutually agreed to terminate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the Bakun hydroelectric plant and undersea cable project to transmit electricity generated at the Bakun dam to Peninsular Malaysia.

Sime Darby had earlier announced that it was pulling out its stake in the Bakun dam and undersea cable project.

As for increasing costs in the construction industry, Nor Mohamed said provision was needed to help the industry cope with higher operational costs.

"There will be higher cost of construction projects. We have issued circulars to take care of this higher cost," he said.

The government recently agreed to variations in contract value for ongoing and new projects followng the hike in the prices of building materials.

Nor Mohamed said the development expenditure under the Ninth Malaysian Plan was fixed and cannot be increased and therefore provision is needed for the existing higher operating costs in construction projects.

On the upcoming budget, the minister said it "will be a people friendly budget and will not be burdensome."

He said there was also no need for provision in the upcoming budget on the restructuring of car and housing loans, as banks have already taken steps to help meet the financial constraints of debt payers due to the current economic climate.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

August 13th, 2008, 11:42 AM

Tenaga and S’wak Energy bid for Bakun
by Nadia S Hassan & Joy Lee May Yen, 13 Aug 2008 10:44 AM
THEEDGEDAILY

KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Sarawak Energy Bhd have jointly put in a bid to take over the Bakun hydroelectric dam and the multi-billion-ringgit undersea cable project which will transmit power to the peninsula.

Sources said the proposal, which was submitted to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and the Ministry of Finance two weeks ago, has Tenaga and Sarawak Energy taking an equal share in the dam project.

As for the undersea cable project, the two utility companies proposed that the federal government take a share, with the remaining stake to be split equally between Tenaga and Sarawak Energy.

The two parties also proposed that the overhead transmission cables from Bakun to the Sarawak coast be installed by Sarawak Energy while Tenaga will take care of the transmission lines in the peninsula.

“The proposal was submitted two weeks ago to the EPU. They are waiting for feedback,” said a source.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, speaking at the launch of the SME Technopreneur Centre II in Cyberjaya yesterday, confirmed that Tenaga had submitted a proposal for the much-maligned Bakun project, but offered no further details.

Despite uncertainties over who would eventually own Bakun Dam, Nor Mohamed reiterated that the project is on schedule and due to be completed by 2010.

In a related development, Bloomberg quoted Tenaga’s chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohd Nor as saying that the national electricity company would be willing to take over the cable job since Sime Darby Bhd had declined to do so.

“Since Sime is not interested, it is only logical for Tenaga to offer (to undertake) the construction of the undersea cable so as not to further delay the project,” he told the wire news service.

The cost of completing the dam has been estimated at around RM5.5 billion, while a two-year delay would add another RM500 million to the price tag. The two submarine cables are expected to cost around RM10.9 billion.

Sime Darby, which was set to purchase a 60% equity interest in the Ministry of Finance-owned Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd which is building the dam, pulled out in June, citing a conflict with its business strategy.

Apart from owning a stake in the dam, Sime Darby also wanted to own 60% of the cable project. The other shareholders in the company undertaking the cable project were to beTenaga and the Ministry of Finance, each with 20%.

It has been reported that Sime Darby and Tenaga could not come to a power-purchase agreement.

The mammoth 2,400 MW Bakun dam forms a pivotal part of the country’s future power-generation mix. It is expected to supply cheap power to Peninsular Malaysia post-2013, helping to reduce the country’s dependence on expensive fossil fuel. Some 1,600 MW are expected to be channelled through the 676km undersea cables from the Sarawak coast.

nazrey

August 15th, 2008, 04:41 AM

Tenaga starts work on Bakun dam
By Hamisah Hamid Published: 2008/08/15
BusinessTimes

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/Friday/Nation/14WHISTLE.xml/Article/Current_News/BTIMES/Images/btgraph9/tnb15.jpg

While awaiting the Government's nod, Tenaga and Sarawak Energy have pushed ahead with preliminary works on how to fund the project as well as talk to with potential suppliers

TENAGA Nasional Bhd (TNB) has started preliminary works on the Bakun hydroelectric dam project while waiting for the government to decide on its proposal to buy a stake in the project.

President and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said preliminary works undertaken by TNB, together with Sarawak Energy Bhd, include how to implement the project, its financing as well as talking with potential suppliers.

"We have to because we don't want to lose more time because before this, Sime has been doing this project for the past 10 years, we have lost two years already, we have to catch up," he told a news conference after the launch of TNB's toll-free and Whistle Blowing Information System in Petaling Jaya by chairman Tan Sri Leo Moggie.

Sime Darby had in late June scrapped a proposal to buy up to 60 per cent of Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, owner of the RM15 billion Bakun project, citing concerns over the project's economics.

Che Khalib said TNB expects to hear from the government soon regarding its proposal.

It is also still interested to buy the power plants of Genting Bhd, Che Khalib said, although talks have stopped.

Meanwhile, Che Khalib said since the in-house whistle-blowing procedure was implemented in July last year, TNB has received 173 complaints, of which 78 were from heads of department, 49 through poison pen letters and 46 direct reports from individuals.

"We have conducted domestic inquiries on these allegations and we have taken action on the guilty parties including dismissal and disciplinary actions such as demotion, no promotion, no bonus or withholding of increment. For graft cases, we refer the cases to the Anti-Corruption Agency after we have taken internal action," he said.

TNB has reinforced the procedure by allowing its staff to forward complaints on misconduct, discrepancy and fraud through its intranet website.

TNB has also launched the toll-free number - 1800 888 862 - for the public to forward any complaint on misconduct by TNB staff.

nazrey

September 28th, 2008, 12:40 AM

MALAYSIA: Power-Surplus Sarawak Funds Another New Dam
By Anil Netto*
IPSNews (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44036)

http://www.ipsnews.net/fotos/dam3.jpg

The proposed Murum Dam is just 60 km upstream
from the 2,400 Mw Bakun Dam (in the picture.)
Credit:Raymond Abin/IPS

PENANG, Malaysia, Sep 27 (IPS) - Preliminary work on a 3 billion ringgit (875 million dollar) dam in Murum in the north Borneo state of Sarawak has put the spotlight on a controversial scheme to build a string of public-funded dams to provide cheap electricity for energy-intensive industries to the state.

Its advocates say that the proposed 944 Mw Murum Dam, near the site of the contentious 2,400 Mw Bakun Dam, still under construction, in the upper Rejang basin in central Sarawak will boost job opportunities, diversify sources of electricity generation and draw new investment.

But while private firms may benefit from the dam construction work and cheap electricity, critics argue that the human cost, the financial burden and risk to the state and the public, and the environmental cost could be too high.

Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), 65 percent owned by the Sarawak state, officially informed the Malaysian stock exchange on Sep. 2 that the Murum Dam project had been awarded to China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation, which reportedly submitted the lowest bid among eight companies.

SEB also told the Malaysian stock exchange the same day that a ''detailed Environmental Impact Assessment has been submitted to the relevant authorities for final approval'' -- which means that the project was awarded before the final approval of the detailed EIA was obtained.

While the state is using its resources to build the dams, about a thousand indigenous folk in the Murum Dam catchment area will lose their homeland. Most of these are Penan, amongst the last of the world’s hunter-gatherers, living near the Murum, Plieran and Danum rivers and tributaries.

Weng, a Penan, whose longhouse, traditional wooden houses, and ancestral land will be flooded, laments: ''The good things we ask for, they (the government) do not give. We ask for schools, clinics, but till now we have yet to see them. What we don't want, what is bad for us, that they provide -- logging, oil palm plantations, acacia plantations ...''

The haste to commence work on the dam leaves activists worried that there might not be proper consultation and inadequate work on the resettlement of one of the most marginalised and disenfranchised peoples in the country.

The experience of the problem-ridden 2,400 Mw Bakun Dam, whose reservoir area will cover 695 sq km, is hardly inspiring. The 8 billion ringgit (2.3 billion dollar) Bakun Dam is expected to be completed in June 2010 and start generating power in 2012.

Some 11,000 indigenous people -- mainly Kenyah, Kayan, Lahanan, Ukit and Penan -- were displaced and just over 9,000 of them were transferred to a resettlement scheme in Asap River from 1997. A delegation from the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, visiting the area in 2006, found shoddy housing, poor drainage and roads, delays and disputes in the compensation payment.

Critics point out that a large portion of the dams' catchment areas has already been degraded by massive plantation developments.

"The whole Bakun catchment is being destroyed by logging and plantation," points out Raymond Abin, programme development officer at the Borneo Resources Institute (Brimas), a group working closely with indigenous communities to monitor environmental and development issues. Forests have been logged to plant oil palm, pulp and wood tree plantations.

Moreover, the Murum Dam, just 60 km upstream from Bakun, lies in one of the three main catchment areas for Bakun.

''Has any work been done on cumulative impacts? How will all this affect the micro-climate or local climate, the hydrological regimes, the animal life of the area, already much devastated by the logging and plantation development?'' asked a Sarawak-based academic, who declined to be named.

''Indeed, how will Murum affect Bakun? Doesn't the public deserve to know the results of these cumulative impact assessments?'' the academic added.

The plan for the Murum Dam comes at a time when uncertainty hangs over what to do with all the electricity to be generated from the 205-metre high Bakun Dam. The original plan was to transmit the electricity via cables under the South China Sea to the peninsula, making it the world's longest undersea electricity transmission. But in 2001, the plan was changed to confine the supply to Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah state.

In 2005, however, the government decided it would not be cost effective to transmit electricity to Sabah because of the distance. The Cabinet decided the following year to once again channel Bakun's electricity to the peninsula even though the peninsula currently has a comfortable reserve capacity.

SEB entered into a "heads of agreement" this May to supply 3,000 Mw of electricity to national electricity corporation Tenaga Nasional Bhd in the peninsula from 2017 and another 5,000 Mw from 2021.

But these plans were thrown into uncertainty after Sime Darby, a government-linked corporation, worried about the plan's viability, pulled out in August from an understanding to lead the laying of 15 billion ringgit (4.4 billion dollar) undersea cables.

The electricity from the Bakun Dam will now be channelled to the aluminium smelter plants until the Murum Dam is ready, the Sarawak Energy managing director said in June. If and when the submarine cables are laid in the South China Sea, the electricity from Bakun would then be channelled to the peninsula.

(*This is the first of a two-part feature on a dam in power surplus Sarawak that is being built with public funds for private gain.) (END/2008)

nazrey

September 28th, 2008, 12:42 AM

MALAYSIA: Murum Dam - Public Funds for Corporate Profit?
By Anil Netto*
IPSNews (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44038)

http://www.ipsnews.net/fotos/bakun3.jpg

By end-2007, Sarawak Hidro, the Bakun Dam developer, had outstanding
borrowings of 1 billion dollars from a state-managed workers' pension fund
and pension trust fund.
Credit:Raymond Abin/IPS

PENANG, Malaysia, Sep 27 (IPS) - Who will foot the bill for the Murum resettlement? ''Is it Sarawak Energy or will it be passed on directly to the state government and hence the tax payer,'' asked one Sarawak-based activist, who declined to be identified.

In the case of Bakun, a dam in central Sarawak which is still under construction, compensation to indigenous people and resettlement cost the Sarawak and federal governments over 876 million ringgit (256 million dollars). ''But there are still Bakun residents who have not received compensation even though they left the Bakun area 10 years ago,'' noted the Auditor General in his 2007 Annual Report.

Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), which is 65 percent owned by the Sarawak state government, will fund the dam. It was reported in June that SEB would issue bonds to finance the project.

SEB has been in negotiations with infrastructure firm Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) and the multi-national Rio Tinto Alcan to supply 900-1,200MW of electricity to power a huge smelter. A power purchase agreement was supposed to have been signed by Aug 31, and there has been no news since.

Both CMS and Rio Tinto are in a consortium, the Sarawak Aluminium Company (Salco), to build the 2 billion dollar aluminium smelter with an initial annual capacity of 550,000 tonnes, which could later be expanded to 1.5 million tonnes. The smelter is located in the Similajau area of Sarawak, not far from the proposed Murum and Bakun dams.

CMS, a listed infrastructure firm controlled by Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's family, is a major producer and supplier of steel, cement and other construction materials in the state. Taib has been chief minister of Sarawak for more than 20 years.

According to the firm's 2007 Annual Report, the substantial shareholders of CMS are the chief minister’s daughters Jamilah Hamidah and Hanifah Hajar, son-in-law Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree, and family concern Majaharta Sdn Bhd, each with a 14 percent stake. Taib's wife Lejla has an 11 percent stake while sons Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and Mahmud Abu Bekir own 9 percent each.

Taib’s brother-in-law, Aziz Husain, on the other hand, happens to be managing director of SEB. Rio Tinto Alcan, which has a 60 percent stake in Salco, owns bauxite mines, alumina refineries and aluminium smelters around the world.

Sarawak plans to lure such energy-hungry industries by providing an abundant supply of cheap electricity within the 320-km long Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), an economic development region, managed by the state, where abundant power would be supplied to energy-intensive private industries. Score, launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in February 2008, aims to tap into the state's 20,000 Mw hydropower potential by building even more dams in the longer term.

Sarawak's current installed capacity is just 980 Mw, adequate for its current needs of about 750 Mw, but it aims to expand its hydro capacity to 7,000 Mw or more over the longer term by building a string of dams along the various rivers in the state.

While smelters could create jobs and contribute to GDP, the funding for the dams required to supply cheap electricity will have to be raised by the state or borrowed from public pension funds (as in the case of Bakun). And while indigenous communities are displaced, many foreign workers will have to be brought in for the construction of the dams. And then there are the environmental costs.

''Will that justify building Murum at a probable estimated cost of 3 billion ringgit, with likely cost overruns to 5 billion ringgits (1.5 billion dollars)?'' asked a Sarawak-based academic, who declined to be identified.

In the case of Bakun, ''cost over-runs of 708 million ringgit (207 million dollars) were approved by the Finance Ministry even though the contract was for a fixed lump sum with all risks to be borne by the main contractor (a consortium of private Malaysian companies and China interests),'' chided the Auditor General in his report.

Sarawak Hidro, the Bakun Dam developer, has outstanding borrowings (as at end-2007) of 3.4 billion ringgit (1 billion dollars). It had received 3 billion ringgit (0.9 billion dollars) from a state-managed workers' pension fund known as the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) in 2007 and 0.4 billion ringgit (0.1 billion dollars) from a state-owned pension trust fund in 2002. The EPF loan is guaranteed by the federal government. The federal government had also allocated 1.8 billion ringgit (0.5 billion dollars) for the project between 1997 and 2004. Sarawak Hidro has already spent 4 billion ringgit (1.2 billion dollars) on the project.

So is Murum really necessary? ''For energy needs in Sarawak, we don't need the Murum, because Bakun is more than enough to supply the state's needs,'' says Raymond Abin of the Borneo Resource Institute (Brimas). ''Of course, (much of) this will not go to the really rural areas but will supply industry's needs."

"The impression among many sceptics is that these are all self-serving projects," said another senior academic in a Sarawak-based university, carefully weighing his words while requesting anonymity.

All these funds are not helping the most affected communities like the Penan. ''This is not development for the Penan. This is not assisting the Penan,'' says Weng, a Penan whose home will be submerged. ''This is killing the Penan. As our old headman said before, better bomb us now than 'kill' us slowly!''

(*This is the second of a two-part feature on a dam in power surplus Sarawak that is being built with public funds for private gain.) (END/2008)

nazrey

November 7th, 2008, 07:05 PM

Siemens keen on Bakun transmission line work
Published: 2008/11/0

SIEMENS Malaysia Sdn Bhd is interested to take up the transmission line work of the Bakun dam project, its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Rainer Althoff said today.

“I do see a need for transmission line in the water and later on the connection between Sarawak and the peninsula,” he said.

“Of course, we are interested in doing some parts of the business, especially when it comes to high technology solutions along the transmission line,” he told reporters after the launch of Siemens Healthcare Sector UPTIME Service Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Althoff said the company was also keen to be a partner to the respective concessions undertaking the converter station.
“We have the most demanded technology for long distance high voltage transmission line on DC (direct current). And we definitely have interest to support this project,” he said.

According to Althoff, Siemens will be the technology provider for those carrying out total integration of the transmission line, with the overhead line on land, which has to be connected to the peninsula and the national power grid.
He expects many local companies to contribute to this portion of the dam’s work.
“We are now waiting for decision on who is going to be the operator for the whole system. I think Tenaga Nasional Bhd is one of the major stakeholders but that is not the whole story. I think there will be more parties involved later on,” he said, adding that Siemens was waiting for the final decision on the whole operation before tendering. — Bernama

nazrey

November 7th, 2008, 07:15 PM

Bakun Dam in progress
by deehong (http://flickr.com/photos/deehong/1002281416/)
Bakun Dam overflow structure view taken at Bakun Town Resort

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1078/1002281416_94e35ec755_o.jpg

Bakun Town Resort with Dam view at the back.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/1002281108_7b73445f20_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1376/1002281014_e3e08d6a69_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1433/1002280922_513eca22f6_o.jpg

nazrey

November 9th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Siemens mahu sertai Bakun
ARKIB : 08/11/2008
Oleh Suwarni Mokhtar

KUALA LUMPUR 7 Nov. - Siemens Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Siemens Malaysia) hari ini menyatakan hasratnya untuk melibatkan diri dalam projek pembangunan Empangan Bakun bernilai RM7 bilion di Sarawak.

Presiden dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Tan Sri Rainer Althoff, bagaimanapun berkata, pihaknya hanya menyasarkan kerja-kerja transmisi tenaga elektrik bawah laut menghubungkan Semenanjung Malaysia dengan Sarawak.

Sehubungan itu, kata beliau, Siemens Malaysia bersedia untuk bekerjasama dengan mana-mana syarikat konsesi yang akan dilantik.

Katanya, Tenaga Nasional Bhd. (TNB) dijangka akan menjadi pemegang saham terbesar dalam projek Empangan Bakun itu di samping penyertaan beberapa pihak lagi.

TNB sebelum ini mengumumkan akan mengadakan perbincangan dengan kerajaan untuk mencari pengganti Sime Darby Bhd. yang menarik diri pada Jun lalu, untuk meneruskan projek Empangan Bakun yang dijangka siap pada 2012.

Althoff menjelaskan: ''Perkara yang masih 'hilang' dalam projek itu adalah kabel transmisi dasar laut dan transmisi antara Sarawak dan Semenanjung, dan kami amat berminat untuk mengisi kekosongan tersebut.

''Kami berkemampuan dan berkepakaran dalam teknologi bagi talian penghantaran voltan kepada arus terus bagi jarak jauh,'' katanya selepas majlis pelancaran Pusat Khidmat UPTIME Siemens Healthcare di sini hari ini.

Pusat khidmat yang merupakan sebahagian daripada Perkhidmatan Proses Sokongan Global adalah pusat sehenti pelanggan dalam mendapatkan bantuan teknikal kepada pelanggan mereka di sektor perubatan.

Beliau juga menyatakan kesediaan untuk membina stesen penukar (conversion station) bagi mengendalikan kerja-kerja menukarkan arus ulang alik kepada arus terus yang merupakan teknologi terkini yang mampu mengurangkan kadar kehilangan tenaga bagi penghantaran jarak jauh.

Althoff menambah, Siemens Malaysia kini sedang menunggu keputusan terakhir mengenai pengendalian keseluruhan empangan itu sebelum memasuki sebarang tender.

Ditanya mengenai pembabitan syarikat itu dalam sektor pengangkutan di negara ini, beliau menambah, pihaknya boleh memberikan penyelesaian kepada cadangan pembinaan laluan keretapi antara Kota Damansara-Cheras.

''Kami mempunyai penyelesaian kepada laluan keretapi dalam bandar (metro line) dan lain-lain perkara yang berbangkit. Laluan ini penting bagi menjadikan Kuala Lumpur sebuah bandar raya yang berdaya saing,'' ujarnya.

Beliau menjelaskan laluan keretapi dalam bandar berbeza dengan laluan sistem transit aliran ringan (LRT) kerana pengangkutan itu mampu membawa lebih banyak penumpang dan bergerak lebih laju.

Beliau turut meramalkan Kuala Lumpur akan mempunyai antara empat hingga lima rangkaian keretapi dalam tempoh 10 tahun ke 15 tahun lagi.

Siemens Malaysia merupakan antara anak syarikat Kumpulan Siemens dari Jerman yang terkenal di peringkat dunia dalam pengeluaran komponen elektronik, komunikasi, pengangkutan, tenaga.

OshHisham

November 9th, 2008, 07:56 AM

nazrey

December 9th, 2008, 07:59 AM

Claims piling up for Bakun
09-12-2008:

KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the owner of problem-plagued Bakun hydroelectric dam, has been slapped with an additional claim amounting to RM80 million from Impsa Malaysia, the supplier of four of the eight turbines that will be installed in the 2,400MW hydro plant.

Sources said that Impsa Malaysia put in the additional claims a few weeks ago and if approved, the claims for the turbine job, initially awarded at RM460 million, will amount to RM225 million.

This would mean that the cost of the four turbines that were awarded on a direct negotiated basis in 2003, a few months before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took office, would balloon to RM685 millon.

The job to supply and install the other four turbines was given to Alstom Malaysia. Alstom’s contract was at RM450 million and the additional claims approved are RM80 million.

The civil and electro-mechanical works for Bakun were originally supposed to have been done at RM4 billion. With the additional claims mounting due to delays, the cost is expected to surpass RM5.5 billion.

Sources said that officials in Sarawak Hidro were surprised by the latest claims of RM80 million from Impsa as they had thought that the matter has been settled after claims of RM145 million to the Argentinian-Malaysian company were agreed upon between both parties three months ago.

It is learnt that Impsa had put in the additional claims based on a new work schedule for the installation of the turbines.

“But the new schedule was not approved by Sarawak Hidro. If the latest claims are approved, it would equal to the amount in additional claims Impsa had sought from Sarawak Hidro initially and which was rejected after the issue became a matter that was even debated in parliament,” said a source.

Earlier this year, Impsa has put in additional claims amounting to RM245 million for a job of RM460 million. The amount was subsequently brought down to RM225 million. But it was still excessive as it was originally only contracted at RM460 million. The matter was brought up in Parliament and the Ministry of Finance assured that they would not entertain such an amount.

Subsequently, Sarawak Hidro offered a sum of RM145 million which was agreed upon by Impsa, say sources. It is learnt that when Impsa agreed to the RM145 million, they has reserved some rights for additional claims.

“It appears that Impsa is now exercising their rights. But it is left to be seen if Sarawak Hidro and Ministry of Finance (MoF) will entertain the claims,” said a source.

The additional RM80 million claim for Bakun Hydroelectric dam project is the latest in the series of problems plaguing the project which took off to a fresh start some six years ago. The civil works for the dam, that was originally awarded at a fixed lump sum price of RM1.8 billion has seen cost overruns of more than RM700 million.

The civil works was awarded to a consortium led by Sime Darby Bhd. It comprised a Chinese contractor and several local contractors. One reason for the cost overruns was due to problems in the soil studies.

The other major portion of cost overruns are coming from the electro-mechanical works, which is essentially the constructing, installation and commissioning of the eight turbines of 400 MW each. The work was awarded to Alstom and Impsa in 2003.

It is said that the award to Impsa was a surprise then as initially the tender was out for only four turbines and Alstom landed the job.

But subsequently the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), under Tan Sri Samsuddin Hitam then, awarded the job for the other four turbines to Impsa. Both Alstom and Impsa are seeking compensation because of delays in the implementation of Bakun.

The project was initially supposed to be completed by end of last year. But because of delays in the civil works, the dates have been pushed several times. The first turbine is expected to start generating electricity in middle of 2010.

nazrey

December 17th, 2008, 02:06 PM

Tenaga may operate Bakun dam, not own it
Published: 2008/12/17

Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Malaysia’s state-owned utility, is considering operating the country’s biggest hydroelectric dam rather than owning it after posting its first quarterly loss in more than four years.

“There’s a consortium that they are looking at to take over the operation of the dam” without “taking a stake,” Amirsham Aziz, head of the government’s Economic Planning Unit, told reporters today in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur.

“We are now still in discussion with Tenaga and their consortium to look at how best we can put this forward.”

The 2,400-megawatt hydroelectric project, which will flood an area the size of Singapore in Malaysia’s part of Borneo, is being built by Sime Darby Bhd and due for completion by 2010.

The submarine cable to transmit power from the island to Peninsular Malaysia is expected to be laid by 2013.

Leasing the Bakun plant from the government may be cheaper for Tenaga amid the current economic slowdown, a weekly newspaper reported on December 13, citing unidentified people.

Tenaga, which posted a loss of RM281.3 million (US$80 million) in the fiscal fourth quarter ended August 31, said yesterday the utility and Sarawak Energy Bhd had submitted a joint proposal to the government on the Bakun dam, without giving details.

The proposal includes buying a stake in the Bakun undersea cable, Amirsham said. “That is critical to us to have the electricity coming to the peninsula.”

The Economic Planning Unit is tasked with overseeing government projects in Malaysia. - Bloomberg

nazrey

February 22nd, 2009, 09:03 PM

Bakun area overlogged, says SAM
Sunday February 22, 2009

MIRI: The Bakun hydro-electric dam catchment area has been overlogged by more than 40,000ha, an environmental group said.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said the original catchment area for the Bakun project in central Sarawak, as stipulated in the first environmental impact assessment report, was supposed to be 64,000ha.

However, more than 100,000ha have already been logged, said SAM field officer for Sarawak Jok Jau Evong, adding that ground studies in Bakun showed that forests outside the original catchment area had been subjected to intensive logging.

“It seems that the logging is being carried out all the way from Bakun to the forested areas earmarked for clearing under the proposed Murum Dam project.

“A large portion of the forest within the Murum Dam area has already been logged,” he told The Star yesterday.

He said the whole area from Bakun to Murum would eventually be cleared of all timber.

“SAM is worried that the ecosystem will suffer even greater damage because of the massive land clearing,” he said.

Evong was commenting on Assistant State Environment and Public Health Minister Dr Abang Rauf Abang Zen’s statement that tonnes of fish in Bakun had died recently due to excessive siltation in the Bakun catchment area.

He said this practice had caused serious siltation in the river systems in Bakun and had contributed to the suffocation of a large number of fishes.

Under Sarawak’s Natural Resour*ces and Environment Board laws, any land development project measuring 500ha and above must be subjected to EIA scrutiny and approval.

Evong said the authorities must monitor all land development projects regardless of the size because all of them contribute to destruction of the environment, riverine resources and wildlife.

Dr Rauf, when asked yesterday how big an area had been logged in the Bakun catchment region, replied that he did not have the exact figure.

nazrey

March 5th, 2009, 07:57 PM

Bakun hydro project ready in 2011
Published: 2009/03/05

MALAYSIA's Bakun hydro-electricity project will be completed in 2011, four years later than originally planned, the government said yesterday.

Deputy Finance Minister Kong Cho Ha said civil works for the Bakun project would be ready in June 2010 while the electrical and mechanical works would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Bernama news agency.

“The first commissioning is expected in August 2010,” Bernama quoted him as saying to lawmakers in parliament, in reference to when the 300 megawatt generator will begin functioning.

The completed project is expected to cost RM7.5 billion (US2.02 billion), according to the government.

Malaysian energy companies Tenaga Nasional and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in January said they had received government approval to take over operations of the Bakun project from multinational Sime Darby.

The government has also proposed the construction of a 700-kilometre (435 mile) undersea cable link to transmit power generated by the dam to southern Johor.

The ambitious cable project was originally dropped following the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The dam’s construction has been dogged with delays and setbacks since its approval in 1993. It had been earlier slated for completion by August 2007. - AFP

daeng_jal

March 6th, 2009, 02:38 PM

yeah, is that Murum dam really necessary? enough of forest clearing, if we need energy, we can opt for wind power. that's much environmental friendly and those 'fans' are much pleasant to look....

http://www.danish-exporters.dk/Grafik/danishexporters/danishWind.jpg

plus, government should draft a policy towards energy saving such as limiting the temperature of hotels, government offices, schools....or, one state, one power supply. so that, we will never have a massive destruction like making those dams.

those fan thing is not realiable..what happen when the wind stop flowing....

A dam is the best choise lah in malaysia, as well as providing cheap energy, it also control flooding as well....probably a dam in kelantan,and pahang could be built to solve the flood problem there...as well as to get electricity

nazrey

May 25th, 2009, 11:56 AM

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nazrey

July 6th, 2009, 04:21 PM

Bakun undersea cable tender out in 2010
Published: 2009/07/06

AN open international tender will be put up early next year for the laying of submarine cables to ship electricity generated by Sarawak's Bakun hydroelectric dam to Peninsula Malaysia.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said the international bidding to lay 675km undersea cable from Pueh in Lundu, near Kuching, to Tanjung Leman in Mersing, Johor, would be called because the task needs high level expertise.

He added that the tender, worth about RM8 billion to RM10 billion, could be awarded to the successful bidder by the middle of next year.

"The first undersea cable is expected to be ready for transmission by end of 2015 and the second by 2017," he told reporters after attending a briefing on the state's power generation by officials from Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) today.

The cable project involves laying a 730km high-voltage direct current transmission line and a 675km undersea cable for the 2,400MW Bakun hydroelectric dam.

Chin said the Bakun hydroelectric dam, which is 90 per cent completed, would start generating electricity in the later part of next year.

He said special purpose vehicles (SPVs) involving Tenaga Nasional Berhad, SEB and the Sarawak government would be established to operate the Bakun hydroelectric dam on lease basis from the federal government. - Bernama

nazrey

July 7th, 2009, 06:24 AM

Bakun power to peninsula in 2015: SEB
By Lim How Pim
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

KUCHING: The installation of the undersea cable for the Bakun hydroelectric project will start middle of next year, said Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Hussain.

With the commencement, Sarawak is expected to supply electricity to Peninsular Malaysia when the first current transmission line is completed in 2015, he said.

“To date, the Bakun hydroelectric project is 90 per cent completed. And later next year, it will start generating electricity.

“The feasibility study of the undersea cable is done and the environmental impact assessment (EIA) is on-going. After that, we will be ready for tendering process early next year and the project will be awarded middle next year,” he told a press conference at a hotel here yesterday.

Prior to the press conference, SEB briefed Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Peter Chin on water and electricity supplies in the state. Pointing out that the undersea cable project cost RM8 billion to RM10 billion, Aziz said once the first current transmission line was ready the Bakun hydroelectric dam would transmit current through a station in Sematan and all the way to Tanjung Leman in Johor as well as Bentung in Pahang.

He added that the second current transmission line would be completed in 2017.

On electricity supply in rural areas throughout Sarawak, he said only three per cent of the rural folks did not enjoy electricity.

“There are three per cent of those residing in the interior part of Sarawak who do not have electricity. The rest do enjoy electricity although not all of them get supply from the main grid.

“Some of the rural folk rely on their own power generator sets,” he said, adding that only non-gazetted villages did not have electricity.

Meanwhile, Chin said his ministry would work closely with the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to ensure electricity supply in rural areas nationwide.

“It is our responsibility to look into the supply of electricity in rural regions although this is not a major issue in cities and towns,” he said.

Chin said the authorities would be more concerned about electricity supply in rural areas in Sarawak

and that that urban towns faced no major problems in this.

On water supply, he said the relevant agencies such as Kuching Water Board and Sibu Water Board would liaise with his ministry to continuously supply clean water to the people.

“The health of our people is our major concern and having clean water is essential to this,” he added.

nazrey

August 1st, 2009, 08:15 AM

Bakun dam 90% complete
Saturday August 1, 2009
By STEPHEN THEN

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/8/1/nation/bakun2.jpg

Mega project: The massive Bakun dam in central Sarawak is nearing
completion. The RM7.8bil Bakun hydroelectric dam is the second highest
concrete-faced dam in the world. Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd managing director
Zulkifle Osman, the project developer, said the creation of a water
catchment – the size of the state of Kelantan – will begin in the next few
months.

BAKUN (Sarawak): Construction of the RM7.8bil Bakun hydroelectric dam, the second highest concrete-faced dam in the world, is 90% ready.

The creation of a water catchment – the size of the state of Kelantan – will begin in the next few months, said Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd managing director Zulkifle Osman, the project developer.

A delegation of 16 Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club members yesterday visited the 205m-high dam which towers over the jungles of Kapit Division in central Sarawak.

The MPs spent the past four days in the interior, visiting the native Penans and the Bakun and Murum dams

The trip was arranged by Ulu Rejang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo. Also in the delegation are Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Amin Mulia, Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat and Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad.

Zulkifle said the impoundment would start in October. By July 2010, testing for electricity transmission from Bakun will start.

“By next October, the whole reservoir will be flooded and we can start operating the two turbines by then,” he said.

He added that the wildlife in Bakun were being rescued, together with the valuable biomass such as the rare plants and trees.

As for the 15,000 folk evacuated from their homes to make way for the dam, the MPs were told that the state Agriculture Department and the tourism development authorities were trying to help them improve their livelihood.

Asked about the possibility of floods, Zulkifle said warning systems had been set up but it would take more than 430mm of rainfall for the dam wall to overflow.

Overflowing was unlikely as the maximum rainfall in Bakun was only 100mm at any one time, added Zulkifle.

The MPs called on the state and federal governments to help the natives of Bakun.

Among the problems that must be addressed are land right disputes with timber and plantation companies, financial problems, lack of basic necessities, the birth certificate and MyKad dilemmas of the stateless Penans and their education needs.

“I want the rural MPs from Sarawak to continue pressuring the authorities to help these Penans. Keep knocking on their (ministers’) doors. Don’t give up,” said Amin Mulia.

nazrey

September 9th, 2009, 03:37 AM

Bakun dam may begin to supply power in 2010
Wednesday September 9, 2009
By LEONG HUNG YEE

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/9/9/business/p7-bakundami.JPG

By end-2011, the Bakun dam will be South-East Asia’s largest power project,
capable of generating 2,400MW electricity for supply to Peninsular Malaysia,
Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan

First commissioning seen August next year with 300MW electricity.

PETALING JAYA: The Bakun dam project in Sarawak has been steeped in controversy since the day it was first awarded to Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing’s company Ekran Bhd, which was badly affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The baton was then passed to the Finance Ministry (MOF) while the transmission cable portion was to be handled by Sime Darby Bhd, which pulled out after finding the escalating costs untenable.

A consortium, comprising Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) and MOF, then stepped in and over the last few months, the job momentum has been building up, potentially leading to tenders being called early next year and financing to be arranged middle of next year.

It now looks like the role of hydropower will be more prominent, post-2010.

Analysts said the electricity from the 2,400-megawatt (MW) Bakun dam would be ready for use much earlier as “the first commissioning was expected in August 2010,” with the first generator producing 300MW of electricity.

After that, the second and subsequent turbines would be able to commence operations at two-month intervals, according to industry players.

By end-2011, the Bakun dam will be South-East Asia’s largest power project, capable of generating 2,400MW electricity for supply to Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan.

However, the Bakun hydropower project, which is expected to be completed by 2011, will still require the laying of undersea cables to transmit electricity to the peninsula.

The cable project, for which the first line is to be completed in 2015, involves the construction of a 1,000km high-voltage direct-current transmission line and a 680km undersea cable. The submarine cable, when completed, will be the longest in the world.

An industry player expects the Government to open the tender process in the first quarter of next year and, subsequently, award the tender in the second half or end of the same year.

While he was not sure which company would be bidding for the projects, he expects five global submarine cable suppliers – ABB Ltd, Sumitomo Corp, Prysmian Cables & Systems, Siemens group and Nexant Inc – to do so.

“Siemens may not be a submarine cable provider but it has expressed interest. I am not sure if these companies will form a consortium to bid for the project or on a stand-alone basis,” he added.

Industry players also pointed out that the construction of the undersea cable could present a geopolitical situation as it would “cross Indonesian waters”.

A “bilateral agreement” would be achieved by the time work on the sub-sea cables commenced, one of the players said.

Although the eight turbines would be ready by 2012 (while the first undersea line would be ready only three years later), not all eight will be utilised, given that Sarawak currently consumes less than 1,500MW.

“There will be excess capacity if all the turbines were to be utilised and Sarawak will not be able to transmit the electricity produced to the peninsula as the sub-sea cable would not be ready yet,” an industry player said, adding that the authorities were in the midst of building transmission towers in Sarawak.

An analyst said the cost of Bakun dam alone, excluding the undersea cable, was estimated at RM6bil.

“Assuming Bakun supplies 1,700MW, it would generate some RM1.6bil in revenue per year. This is based on it selling the power at 11 sen per unit at its gates to the transmission company,” he added.

The generation cost for hydropower is cheaper basically because water from the river basins is free compared with the higher cost in procuring coal or gas to fire up a power plant.

“The downside is that the cost of building a hydro dam is much more expensive than that for a normal coal or gas power plant.

“In Peninsular Malaysia, where demand for electricity is higher, it would be good if there could be more hydro dams.

“Unfortunately, this is constrained by the number of rivers that are large enough to support a dam. Sarawak has a better potential,” the analyst said.

“The electricity cost could be lower by one-third to half of the current tariff if it is produced and consumed in Sarawak,” an industry player said, adding that in the long run, hydropower costs were more stable.

In contrast, gas and coal prices may not be cheap in the future. “Ultimately, we’ll have to pay the market prices for gas, which is heavily subsidised by Petronas. It (the electricity cost) may be 50% higher.”

The Bakun dam was first mooted more than three decades ago but was shelved just two years after it got off the ground in 1995.

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned unit of the MOF, was made project manager when the project was revived in 2000.

The job to supply and install the turbines was awarded to Alstom Malaysia and IMPSA (M) Sdn Bhd in 2003.

Sime Darby, meanwhile, received the Government’s approval in principle to become a major shareholder in Sarawak Hidro and the company to be set up to lay the transmission link to the peninsula, with a 60% stake in each entity.

However, last June, Sime Darby decided not to proceed with this equity stake acquisition.

Earlier this year, the Federal Government approved the proposal for TNB and SEB to jointly take over the operation of the Bakun dam project from Sarawak Hidro.

The takeover will be done through a leasing agreement and the joint partners will develop the transmission system from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia.

Analysts point out that transmitting hydropower from Sarawak does not mean that TNB will stop building more plants.

“While the electricity for Sarawak helps, TNB would still need alternative sources as a diversification strategy.

“There are some old power plants while (the power purchase) agreements with some of the first-generation independent power producers are set to expire in mid-2010,” an analyst said.

The demand for power is also expected to increase in tandem with the growth in gross domestic product. It is estimated that by 2014, the reserve margin may drop to 20% while new and secure sources of power should be obtained.

As a long-term option, TNB is also looking at nuclear power.

The plan is for 10,000MW to be transmitted in stages to Peninsular Malaysia. Under the head of agreements signed last year between TNB and SEB, the latter would supply 3,000MW to TNB from 2017 to 2020 and 5,000MW from 2021 to 2030, based on a schedule to be mutually agreed by both parties.

SEB estimated there could be 50 possible sites in Sarawak that could provide about 20,000MW of hydropower. It has indicated that the speed of its planting programme would depend on demand and whether there is a firm off-taker.

“Rio Tinto Alcan is still in negotiations with SEB while supply to Press Metal Bhd is supposed to start this month or next,” an analyst said.

Rio Tinto Alcan is undertaking an RM8bil aluminium smelter that is expected to require 900MW while Press Metal’s aluminium smelter would require about 90MW although demand could rise to 600MW by 2011.

nazrey

October 2nd, 2009, 05:47 AM

Bakun RM606mil hydro-power turbine works on track
Friday October 2, 2009 By LEE KIAN SEONG

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/10/2/business/p4-enriquei.JPG

IMPSA president Enrique Pescarmona (left) and
Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui at the IMPSA plant in Lumut

IMPSA has completed about 50% of the job

LUMUT: IMPSA (M) Sdn Bhd, which is supplying four of eight hydro-powered turbines for the 2,400-megawatt Bakun dam project, has completed more than 50% of the turbine works and is on schedule to complete the four turbines by 2012.

IMPSA Malaysia managing director Juan Jose Aguero said the total costs for its turbines were RM606mil, of which RM145mil was the claim awarded due to the delay of the project and the increment in costs.

Aguero said the company planned to invest about RM50mil over the next two years to expand its business in Malaysia. This would include the purchase of new machinery and the installation for its plant.

“We have invested RM200mil in the last five years to expand our plant locally and our intention is to continue expanding our business here,” he said.

Aguero said this during Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui’s visit to IMPSA plant in Lumut yesterday.

He said the company manufactured components and machinery for renewable-energy industry and port cranes.

“The renewable-energy products manufacturing business contributes about 80% to our revenue,” he said, adding that 30% to 40% of its total products were currently for export.

Meanwhile, Chin said the Government was studying the possibility of developing nuclear energy for power generation.

He said an overseas study trip would be made within the next few days in relation to this matter.

“I’m going to South Korea to look at what is happening there with regard to nuclear technology,” he said.

Nuclear development in Malaysia is currently in its infancy and the possibility of using nuclear as a source of renewable energy might happen in 15 to 20 years.

“It may happen when our resources like gas, coal and fossil fuel have depleted,” Chin said.

He said many countries had the expertise in this area and the Government was keeping the option open.

On the possibility of using wind for power generation, Chin said the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry was now doing testing in a few places, including Sabah.

“We have to make sure that we have enough wind for the installation of machines like wind-turbines to generate power.

“We will make the decision after the test has been completed but it is hard to set a timeframe,” he said.

On the power tariff hike, Chin said the next review would take place in December but it did not mean there would be an increase.

He said the Government would look at the costs before making any decision.

“The last review was sometime in June and the Government had made the decision not to increase the tariff due to the economic slowdown. We don’t want to increase the burden of the people,” he said.

nazrey

November 5th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Bakun Dam To Start Supplying Power End Of Next Year
November 05, 2009 18:09 PM

KUCHING, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- The Bakun hydroelectric dam in Sarawak may begin producing 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the last quarter of 2010, according to Zulkifle Osman, managing director of Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the project developer.

He said the Bakun dam, the world's second highest concrete-faced rockfill dam, is expected to be completed by end of 2011, with eight hydroelectric turbine-generator units with total installed capacity of 2,400MW for supply to Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan.

"The impoundment of the dam will start in January next year. However, it is subject to the state government's approval and the impoundment will take a minimum of eight months," Zulkifle said at a media briefing here last night.

"The first turbine will start operating when the whole reservoir flooded. By then, the Bakun Hydroelectric dam will generate 300MW of electricity by October or November next year," he said.

Sarawak Hidro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance Incorporated Malaysia, has been entrusted to develop and manage the Bakun hydroelectric project since May 1, 2000.

A special-purpose vehicle, comprising Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), Sarawak Eenergy Berhad (SEB) and the Sarawak government as shareholders, will be set up to operate the Bakun dam based on a lease.

The Bakun dam is the largest hydropower project in Malaysia with an installed capacity of 2,400MW. It is located on the Balui River in the upper Rejang River basin, 37 kilometres upstream from Belaga town.

The project was conceived to support the federal government's fuel diversification policy, by providing a renewable and clean source of energy and aiming to significantly contribute to meet the increasing demand of electricity.

Sarawak Hidro's general manager Tan Yong Long said construction of the Bakun dam to generate 2,400MW electricity was 92.84 per cent completed as of September this year.

Tan said the dam is expected to be fully operational by end of 2011, and would still require the laying of submarine cables to transmit electricity to Peninsular Malaysia.

"The first 675-kilometre long submarine cable will link Sematan in southern Sarawak to Tanjung Leman in Mersing, Johor, and is expected to be completed in 2016 to transmit 1,700MW of electricity to Peninsular Malaysia," he said.

On the environmental impact, Tan said wildlife found in areas that are to be inundated were being rescued and moved to unaffected areas, together with valuable flora such as rare plants and trees.

"We are clearing of a total area of 455 hectares at selected areas for future development along the shoreline, within 15 radius of the dam. The work commenced in January this year," he said.

"On wildlife rescue, we collaborated with Sarawak Forestry Corporation on at least six targeted islands formed during the impoundment, within 50 kilometres upstream of the dam. Plant rescue started in July this year. Animal rescue will commence once impoundment starts," he added.

-- BERNAMA

nazrey

November 5th, 2009, 02:53 PM

300MW of power from Bakun HEP by end of 2010
Friday, November 6th, 2009

KUCHING: The first turbine of the Bakun Hydro-Electric Project is expected to begin generating power in the last quarter of 2010.Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd general manager Tan Yong Long told a dialogue with the media here on Wednesday evening that the turbine would generate some 300 megawatts (MW) of power.

He said it would then be followed by seven other turbines, which would be activated one after the other every three months until the project’s completion date which is by the end of 2011.

“Whether or not we can start as hoped, however, also depends on when impoundment begins and if Sesco had laid down its cables already,” said Tan.

He said each turbine could run for 25 years before it needs to have an overhaul and that since all begin to operate at different times, the dam would still continue to generate power even if a turbine has to go through maintenance work.

Sarawak Hidro managing director Zulkifle Osman told the dialogue that since Bakun was designed to generate power for Peninsular Malaysia, the dam was built to generate more than the required 1,170 MW via its eight turbines.

He said there was easily an extra of 1,000MW of power for the state. He further said Bakun’s civil work alone cost RM2.3billion.

It was learnt that a special purpose vehicle, a joint collaboration between Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Sarawak Energy Berhad, was currently looking at the specifications for submarine cables to transfer power to Peninsular Malaysia.

Laying of the two submarine cables will be put to open tender and that each cable is said to be 700 metres in length.

nazrey

November 16th, 2009, 06:29 AM

Bakun reservoir - 695 sq km - ready to be filled
Monday November 16, 2009
By YAP LENG KUEN

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/11/16/business/p1-bakunmap.JPG

Sarawak Hidro awaits state approval

KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the developer of the RM6bil Bakun hydroelectric project (HEP), is awaiting state approval to start filling up the reservoir next month.

“The minimum requirements for impounding (which refers to the process of closing the diversion tunnels gates to allow water levels to rise) are there,’’ managing director Zulkifle Othman told StarBiz. “We are in the process of obtaining the state’s approval to impound.’’

Documents have been submitted pertaining to, among others, the impoundment manual, reservoir filling certification report and emergency response plan to the Sarawak government.

About eight months are required following the impoundment process to allow the water level to reach the minimum operating level of 195m above sea level.

The overall completion of Bakun HEP is 93% and the main civil works, 95%. Power is to be supplied by eight turbines being built by Alstom and IMPSA.

Work done by Alstom is 92% complete and IMPSA, 86% while work on the switchyard, which is undertaken by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB), is 49% complete.

Handing over of units by Alstom is scheduled for October and December next year, and February and April in 2011. IMPSA’s four units are scheduled to be handed over in January, April, July and October 2011.

Besides work on the dam, Sarawak Hidro is also doing biomass removal for the state to utilise the land within the reservoir area for future economic development activities. This is undertaken with the consent of the state in nine places covering 400ha.

The Bakun HEP has a catchment area of 14,750 sq km and reservoir area at its maximum supply level of 228m above sea level of 695 sq km.

A transmission line of 275kV is being built by Sarawak Energy Bhd, connecting Bakun Switchyard to Similajau, and is to be completed by July 2010. This will be the grid system for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.

For undersea cable transmission to Peninsular Malaysia, a high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line from the Bakun converter is to be connected to the submarine cable which will start from Kampung Pueh across Indonesian waters to Tanjung Leman in Johor onto the HVDC transmission line to the converter substation in Bentong, Pahang.

Dialogues are currently being held with the local people and corporate responsibility programmes are ongoing to supply water to schools and longhouses from Bakun to Belaga.

AtChdage

December 12th, 2009, 03:21 PM

byong_sun

December 12th, 2009, 04:09 PM

Damn Cool!!! sarawak can handle such Giant project?? OMG!!! This project size is more suitable to be carried in China.. Too huge for us

used to be the most expensive project in the world back then.

AtChdage

December 13th, 2009, 09:40 AM

used to be the most expensive project in the world back then.

Most expensive?? Hmm.. okie... I believe... Haha.. Ur Johorean?? I just went Johor last two week.. JB is Huge!! The road is crazy there... But i still like Kuching's not very crowded roads

byong_sun

December 13th, 2009, 10:27 AM

Most expensive?? Hmm.. okie... I believe... Haha.. Ur Johorean?? I just went Johor last two week.. JB is Huge!! The road is crazy there... But i still like Kuching's not very crowded roads

jb is ok..but almost all road side sign boards are covered by tree branches..so most of the times u need to get real close to it to read where ur going.by that time,its always too late n u will get honked by other cars for last minute lane changing.yes,the bakun project was once declared as the most expensive project in the world..for that year.i dont remember what year.it was on the news paper.

tunomura

December 13th, 2009, 04:19 PM

Bakun Dam Trivia

1) Bakun Dam will be the tallest concrete faced rockfill dam (CFRD) in the world.
2) Bakun Lake will be the biggest lake in Malaysia by storage volume.
3) Bakun Lake will be the largest lake in Malaysia by surface area, even though it is not apparent on the map, due to the sliver shape of the various lake tributaries, as a result of location in the highland valleys.
4) Bakun Power Station will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Malaysia, surpassing the currently largest Pergau Dam's power station in Malaysia.
5) Bakun submarine power cable will be the longest in the world, surpassing the current Norway to Netherland submarine cable.

Malaysia Hydroelectric Power House

Sabah and Sarawak

* Bakun Hydroelectric Project 2400 MW (Under construction) <--largest
* Batang Ai Dam at Lubok Antu, Sarawak 25 MW
* Murum Dam in Sarawak 944 MW
* Tenom Pangi Dam at Tenom, Sabah 66 MW

Independent hydroelectric schemes

* Sultan Ismail Petra Power Station 600 MW <--runner-up
* Sg Kenerong Small Hydro Power Station in Kelantan at Sungai Kenerong, 20 MW owned by Musteq Hydro Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Eden Inc Berhad

Sungai Perak hydroelectric scheme, with 649 MW installed capacity:

* Bersia Dam 72 MW
* Chenderoh Power Station 40.5 MW
* Kenering Power Station 120 MW
* Sungai Piah Upper Dam 14.6 MW
* Sungai Piah Lower Dam 54 MW
* Temenggor Power Station 348 MW

Terengganu hydroelectric scheme, with 400 MW installed capacity:

* Sultan Mahmud Power Station 4 x 100 MW = 400 MW

Cameron Highlands hydroelectric scheme, with 262 MW installed capacity:

* Jor Dam 100 MW
* Woh Dam 150 MW
* Odak Dam 4.2 MW
* Habu Dam 5.5 MW
* Kampong Raja Dam 0.8 MW
* Kampong Terla Dam 0.5 MW
* Robinson Falls Dam 0.9 MW
:cheers:

byong_sun

December 13th, 2009, 04:28 PM

good info :) ^^^^

nazrey

December 16th, 2009, 09:26 AM

Bekalan elektrik Bakun dua fasa kekal 2015
16 Disember 2009

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/pix/2009/1216/Kosmo/Negara/ne_11.1.jpg

GAMBAR fail empat wanita etnik Kayan dirakam
melihat model Projek Empangan Bakun di Sarawak.

KUALA LUMPUR - Tenaga Nasional Bhd. (TNB) semalam mengekalkan rancangan asal untuk mula membekalkan tenaga elektrik daripada Empangan Elektrik Hidro Bakun ke Semenanjung pada 2015.

"TNB akan dapat mengakses tenaga yang dijana oleh empangan elektrik hidro di Sarawak untuk dihantar ke Semenanjung Malaysia," kata Pengerusinya, Tan Sri Leo Moggie (gambar) dalam satu sidang akhbar selepas mesyuarat agung tahunan di sini.

Moggie sebelum itu diminta mengulas keputusan baru kerajaan Persekutuan untuk membenarkan Sarawak menggunakan kesemua tenaga daripada empangan itu yang berkapasiti 2,400 megawatt (MW), untuk keperluan industri tempatan.

Ia berikutan Ketua Menteri Sarawak, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud pada minggu lalu dilaporkan meminta kerajaan Persekutuan mengizinkan kerajaan negeri supaya tenaga daripada operasi awal empangan itu digunakan untuk industri di negeri berkenaan, terutama di Koridor Tenaga Boleh Diperbaharui Sarawak (SCORE).

"Sebahagian daripada tenaga yang dijana akan digunakan sepenuhnya oleh industri berat Sarawak, namun Sarawak berpotensi menghasilkan kapasiti yang lebih besar," kata Moggie.

nazrey

December 16th, 2009, 09:27 AM

Plan to supply electricity from Bakun still on: TNB chairman
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) said the plan to supply electric power from the 2,400 megawatt (MW) Bakun Hydroelectric Dam to Peninsular Malaysia by 2015, is still on.“As far as we understand TNB will still be able to access power produced by the hydro electric plant in Sarawak to be transmitted to Peninsular Malaysia,” its chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Leo Moggie told reporters after the annual meeting with stakeholders here.

Moggie was asked to comment on the new federal government’s decision to allow Sarawak to use all the power from the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam for the needs of local industries.

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud was reported to have said last week that the federal government had agreed to the state government’s request for the Bakun electric power at the initial stage of operation to be used for state industries, especially those in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

“Obviously some of the power will be utilised by Sarawak heavy industries but Sarawak has a potential of producing substantial capacity,” Moggie said.

What has been identified for transmission to Peninsular Malaysia, will still be within the total available capacity that can be generated in Sarawak.

He noted that all Sarawak hydro-power plants could produce more than 20,000MW hydro capacity.

TNB plans on bringing in only 1,600MW and 800MW respectively by 2015 and 2017, he said.

It was reported that Sarawak is embarking on the 900MW Murum dam project as well as the 160MW Limbang, 1,000MW Baram, 900MW Balleh and several other smaller dam projects in Miri and Limbang Divisions in the northern region.

Sarawak is now producing 108MW from the Batang Ai hydro dam in Sri Aman Division. By 2015, the total hydro capacity is expected to be 5,000MW and by 2020 it will be at 9,000MW.

“That is not taking into account the coal-fired power plants that are already in construction,” he added.

“We are preparing to continue making plans to transmit the power to semenanjung with the first cable being operational to deliver electricity by 2015 and the second cable by 2017.

“From this point of view, this planning is still onstream. For us, it is important to have access to hydropower capacity from Sarawak.

“If we do not have access to that, then Semenanjung will have to utilise other fuel source and likely it will mean generating more power using coal.”

The cost then, he said, is likely to be high as coal is subject to international market pricing.

“The availability of obtaining coal at the right time can also become increasingly challenging as the demand from other countries have also increased,” he said.

Moggie said TNB and Sarawak Energy Bhd last year signed a head of agreement to develop electricity generation capacities over a period of time.

Under the agreement, Sarawak Energy will sell 3,000MW to TNB from 2017 to 2020, and this will be increased by another 5,000MW from 2021 to 2030. — Bernama

nazrey

December 17th, 2009, 06:46 AM

---

nazrey

February 11th, 2010, 03:13 PM

Bakun Dam in progress
by deehong (http://flickr.com/photos/deehong/1002281416/)
Bakun Dam overflow structure view taken at Bakun Town Resort
Bakun Town Resort with Dam view at the back.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/1002281108_7b73445f20_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1376/1002281014_e3e08d6a69_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1433/1002280922_513eca22f6_o.jpg

Sarawak smelters raise uncertainty on Bakun cable project
By ANITA GABRIEL Thursday February 11, 2010

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2010/2/11/business/b_p1bakun.jpg

The Bakun dam project is expected to
generate some 300MW by August.

PETALING JAYA: The number of power-hungry aluminium smelters that are being planned in Sarawak has raised uncertainty on the fate of the multi-billion ringgit submarine cable project meant to transmit power from Bakun hydroelectric dam in the state to the peninsula.

This is clearly causing some unease, not least for national utility Tenaga Nasional Bhd, which needs to plan the plant-ups to cater for future electricity demand in Peninsular Malaysia.

“Yes, it is a concern to us. We are seeking Government direction on this matter,” said TNB president and chief executive Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh.

Under the proposed plan, the cable project involving the construction of a 1,000km high-voltage direct-current transmission line and a 680-km undersea cable, was expected to be completed in 2015 with an open tender process to be launched in the first quarter of this year. Each cable would be able to transmit 800MW.

“There is lack of clarity. Will the electricity generated by Bakun be consumed by the state or will some of it be sold to the peninsula? There has to be a guaranteed supply of electricity at a certain amount to the peninsula. Otherwise, it will be difficult to make the financial case for the cables,” said an analyst.

The Bakun dam project, with an installed capacity of 2,400MW, is expected to turn up some 300MW of juice by August this year and to be fully commissioned by October 2011. The spate of mega projects being proposed (more specifically aluminium smelters, which are major energy guzzlers) under the state’s development agenda Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) has raised the question on whether there will be enough power to be shared from Bakun with the peninsula.

It was announced on Tuesday that Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary’s controlled GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd had tied up with Aluminium Corp of China Ltd (Chalco) to develop a US$1bil smelter plant with an initial capacity of 330,000 tonnes per year in Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu; the plant will need some 600MW of electricity.

GIIG director Shahrir Shariff was reported to have said (after the signing ceremony on Tuesday) that the project was mooted back in 2002 but was “stalled because the Government decided that power was supposed to come to the peninsula via the submarine cable. We’ve resumed (the smelter plan) because we’ve been made to understand from the state government that the Bakun power is now meant for Score.”

There is also another multi-billion ringgit aluminium smelter that is being planned in the same industrial area, this time by a 60:40 joint venture between Rio Tinto Alcan and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd with an initial capacity of 550,000 tonnes a year. A memorandum of understanding was signed back in 2008 for Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) to supply between 900MW and 1,200MW of power to this smelter, presumably also from Bakun.

Furthermore, a month ago, 1Malaysia Development Bhd signed a “cooperation framework agreement” with state-owned State Grid Corp of China (SGCC) to jointly undertake projects in Score which could create as much as US$11bil worth of economic value. Part of this plan, it is believed, also involves a massive aluminium smelter and hydro dam projects.

“With all these projects in the pipeline, it looks like it’s no longer the case of Bakun having too much excess capacity which it can transmit to the peninsula. The cost of transmitting electricity or building the cables have to be justified by the amount of capacity transmitted to the peninsula. You can’t build such costly cables if you don’t know how much will be transmitted across. The line only works if there’s substantial power coming across,” said a peeved observer.

The motivation for Sarawak to tap the power capacity to generate economic activity is clear. “If the state can generate a certain amount of economic activity by using its own resources, in this instance, hydro, why not? The multiplier impact for the state outweighs what it could get by selling the power to the peninsula,” said an analyst.

On the other hand, the industry observer said: “The state would rather sell cheap power to energy-hungry industries that pollute the environment at the cost of stirring economic activity nationwide.”

Herein lies the crux of this Bakun dilemma for the peninsula – could this be a play between East and West Malaysia?

nazrey

February 12th, 2010, 11:17 PM

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/11/16/business/p1-bakunmap.JPG

Power will be for Sarawak's use first: Chin
Published: 2010/02/13

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/bakpow/Article/Current_News/BTIMES/Images/btgraph10/PEPTER13.jpg

Bakun submarine power cable will be the longest in the world, surpassing the current Norway to Netherland submarine cable

THE initial power supplied by the Bakun hydroelectric project in Sarawak needs to be first used in the state before being expanded to Peninsular Malaysia, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said yesterday.

He said that since the project was expected to begin transmitting power by early next year, there would be a gap in terms of waiting for the completion of the undersea cable project to supply electricity from Sara-wak to Peninsular Malaysia.

Speaking to reporters in Miri, Sarawak, he said the undersea cable project was expected to be completed by 2017 and until then, power from the Bakun project had to be utilised properly for the development in the state.

Chin was commenting on a recent concern over whether Bakun power would be sold to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) for use in the peninsula as the electricity was needed to power two proposed aluminium smelters to be built in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.

"This smelter projects can take up the electricity that can be produced by the Bakun almost immediately when it is ready (to supply power)," he said.

The two smelter projects are those initiated by the joint ventures between GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd and Aluminium Corp of China Ltd as well as between Rio Tinto Alcan and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd.

Chin said the Bakun project upon full completion would be able to generate about 2,400 megawatts of power through its four turbines.

However, the power generated from just one of the turbines would be sufficient for the initial operations of the two smelters, he said.

Chin also said that his ministry would continue strategising with TNB and the Sarawak government in planning the power requirements in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah as well as to meet the needs of neighbouring countries.

Apart from Bakun, he said the Sarawak government had already planned to build several other major hydroelectric projects in the state to meet future energy needs. - Bernama

nazrey

February 14th, 2010, 02:02 PM

Power Export To Peninsular Malaysia To Be Timed With Murum Dam Completion - Dr Chan
February 11, 2010 17:50 PM

KUCHING, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Electricity export to Peninsular Malaysia via the proposed submarine cable project from the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam in Sarawak will be timed with the completion of the Murum Hydroelectric Dam by 2013, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Thursday.

Contrary to concerns expressed by peninsula-based industries, he said, the multi-billion ringgit project involving construction of a 1,000km high-voltage direct current transmission line and a 680km undersea cable, would be ready to be installed once the 900MW (Megawatt) Murum Dam comes on stream.

"There is some timing as Peninsular Malaysia will not need power straight away. There will be enough supply (by then) to be transmitted from Bakun," said Dr Chan, who is also State Industrial Development Minister, to reporters.

He was responding to a recent statement by Tenaga Nasional Bhd President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh, who sought government direction on the fate of the project due to the number of power-hungry alumimium smelters being planned especially for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).

The Murum Dam project, on the tributary of the Balui River in the upper reaches of the Rajang Basin, is sited some 60km upstream of the proposed 2,400MW Bakun project, which is expected to produce 300MW electricity by August and fully commissioned by next year.

Under the proposed plan, laying of the undersea cable is expected to be completed in 2015, with an open tender process to be called in the first quarter of this year, for a capacity to transmit 800MW electricity for each cable.

Last month, 1Malaysia Development Bhd signed a cooperation framework agreement with state-owned State Grid Corp of China to jointly undertake projects in SCORE which could create as much as US$11 billion worth of economic value, including an aluminium smelter and a hydro dam project.

It was announced recently that Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary-controlled GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd had tied up with Aluminium Corp of China Ltd to build a US$1 billion smelter plant, with an initial capacity of 330,000 tonnes per year, at Samalaju Industrial Park in Bintulu under SCORE.

Another multi-billion ringgit aluminium smelter being planned at the same industrial area under a joint venture between Rio Tinto Alcan and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2008 with Sarawak Energy Bhd to supply between 900MW and 1,200MW electricity to the smelter.

-- BERNAMA

lohxy

February 15th, 2010, 04:15 AM

300 MegaWatt?

Ampelio

February 15th, 2010, 10:47 AM

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/91/bakunlocation.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/bakunlocation.jpg/)
^^Location map

Ampelio

February 15th, 2010, 10:54 AM

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/91/bakunlocation.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/bakunlocation.jpg/)
^^Location map

...and "one" is never enough :cheers:

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1707/cafa0d1dfe492e199a70447.gif (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/cafa0d1dfe492e199a70447.gif/)
^^The future supplies of Sarawak energy ...total 7000 MW !!!:okay:

cullen

February 16th, 2010, 12:47 AM

:ohno: habislah hutan2 di malaysia nanti tenggelam!!

lohxy

February 16th, 2010, 04:28 AM

wah Bakun so improtant to the country

forrestcat

February 16th, 2010, 06:39 PM

:ohno: habislah hutan2 di malaysia nanti tenggelam!!

Not to mention the chinese aluminium smelters.with chinese companies terrible records in environmental management, i am sure sarawakians wil soon see their water and air poisioned.

We are fools to sacrifice large tracts of our forests for a bunch of yuans.

nazrey

May 13th, 2010, 02:51 PM

Sime may incur extra RM450m in Bakun costs
Published: 2010/05/13
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20100513150745/Article/index_html#ixzz0noFSZcI8

Sime Darby Bhd said there may be an additional cost of RM450 million related to its Bakun hydroelectric dam project.

It also said it faces RM526 million of cost overruns related to a project in Qatar, the company said in a statement today. - Bloomberg

nazrey

August 8th, 2010, 12:24 PM

Bakun dam waiting for green light to start holding water
August 8, 2010, Sunday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=56143

http://www.theborneopost.com/newsimages/0880.jpg

NEARING COMPLETION: Part of the floodgates of the Bakun dam. The
catchment area of the dam will cover an area the size of Singapore. :eek:

BELAGA: The construction of Bakun Hydroelectricity Dam is in its final stage and is expected to start impounding or holding water in its catchment areas after getting the green light from the state government’s Public Utilities Ministry.

Managing director of Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, the owner of the world’s second largest concrete-faced rock-filled dam, Zulkifle Osman, said 96 per cent of the civil construction has been completed and the remaining four per cent is the final touch up on the mega structure.

“We have submitted applications for impounding permit in stages to the ministry and all the reports have been endorsed by the state’s consultants. We believe the permit will be issued soon.”

Before the impounding starts it will be explained it to the people in the area.

After the water level has reached the required level, the top 10 metres of water will flow through the intake outlet.

Water from the outlet will flow to the power station which houses the eight turbines. The top ten metres is to ensure that water flowing out to the other side is clear and without timbers.

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated is entrusted to develop and manage the hydroelectric project since May 2, 2000. It was awarded the contract in 2002.

The civil engineer with vast experience in dam building explained that the holding of water flowing down the Balui River is done by shutting down the three diversion tunnels.

“The water will be held in the designated areas. It will take seven months to get the catchment areas under water. After the water has reached the right level, turbine number eight (one of eight turbines that can generate 300 megawatts of electricity), will become operational.

Later, all eight turbines will run non-stop for 20 hours per day with four hours of rest and then continue for 30 days.

This is aimed at enhancing the durability of the components inside the turbines.

Zulkifle said the dam could filter floating biomasses such logs along the more than 400-km Rejang River.

It can also mitigate flood as it is capable of controlling the flow of water during the monsoon (December to March) when the river often overflows its banks and inundate places such as Belaga, Kapit, Kanowit, Sibu, and Sarikei.

Zulkifle said the eight small islands in the catchment area could be utilised for eco-tourism and aqua-culture.

The Orang Ulu people in the area then can diversify their economic activities into operating small businesses, either selling products or providing services such as transportation.

Furthermore, he said, the natives would benefit from the good road connecting Bakun Dam to Bintulu.

On the recent media briefing at the dam site, he said it was aimed at giving a clearer picture about the dam in light of the numerous negative news reports by online news portal or bloggers. It was also for explaining social issues related to environmental impact and the resettlement of the natives displaced from their ancestral lands.

katlin04

August 10th, 2010, 11:48 AM

...and "one" is never enough :cheers:

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1707/cafa0d1dfe492e199a70447.gif (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/cafa0d1dfe492e199a70447.gif/)
^^The future supplies of Sarawak energy ...total 7000 MW !!!:okay:

Hi can anyone tell me who is the main contractor for the Bakun Dam Project?

nazrey

August 11th, 2010, 01:56 PM

The Bakun dam can be imagined as Egypt’s tallest pyramid planted upside down
Story and photos by STEPHEN THEN Wednesday August 11, 2010
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/8/11/sarawak/6825421&sec=sarawak

THE RM7bil Bakun hydro-electric dam in central Sarawak may have raised controversies and drawn criticisms from environmentalists and social activists over the past 14 years, but there is no denying that the structure is an engineering marvel.

Some 32 journalists from national media organisations were taken on a three-day tour of the dam last week.

They were taken to the top of the dam’s main wall, a 215m-high structure that is the second-highest concrete-face rock-filled dam in the world.

They were also taken to the deep end of a power-generation plant where eight huge turbines were fitted into a structure built three-stories under the ground.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2010/8/11/sarawak/swk_pg06view.jpg

Panoramic: View of the Bakun Valley which will be flooded by next year.

The journalists came away awe-struck.

A senior journalist from The Edge, M. Shanmuggam, summed up the project very well by describing it as “simply amazing’’.

The first view that greeted visitors was the gigantic main wall. The length from one end to the other is 740m. The dam’s base is 750m thick. There is a two-lane highway on top of the dam for cars and trucks.

The dam’s foundation had to be built into the rocks of the mountain ridges.

Mountain surfaces of more than a km high had to be meticulously smoothed out and carved into a shape to fit the dam’s structural design.

The drilling and rock-cutting works began more than 20 years ago.

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2010/8/11/sarawak/swk_pg06intake.jpg

Simply amazing: A view of the power intake plant at the site.

The river diversion tunnels measure 1.2km and were built by drilling through the mountain base some 200m deep and 12m wide. There are three such tunnels that allow the entire Balui River to flow through.

At the top of the dam are eight inlets that will take in water from a 210m-high man-made reservoir that will drown an area the size of Singapore.

There are two huge man-made spillways that look like concrete rivers enclosed by steel gates measuring 21m high. Each of the gates weigh 300 tonnes. The entire dam wall comprises nearly 17 million cubic metres of rocks and concrete.

To summarise its amazing physical attributes, imagine the tallest pyramid of Egypt being transported to Bakun and planted upside down.

The dam was carved out of steep mountains by 4,500 workers tediously carrying out on-site construction and meticulous checks daily, weekly, monthly and yearly since 1996, except for an 18-month period during the 1997-1998 financial crisis when the project was temporarily shelved by the Government.

International geology and hydrology experts have been visiting Bakun regularly over the past decade to check on the safety aspects of the ground and the dam structure.

The Bakun project – a Federal Government project developed and managed by Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the Finance Ministry Incorporated – is the largest dam project in South-East Asia.

Its construction will finish by December this year and power generation will begin by July next year.

ashraf abdullah

August 11th, 2010, 05:20 PM

i heard the submarin cable connecting from bakun hydroelectric to peninsular malaysia is the longest in the world.was it true?

hetfield85

August 12th, 2010, 05:59 PM

Apart from electricity generation..the dam can potentially be developed for tourism same like Pedu and Kenyir. So many spin-off effect regarding on this project :).

itoyak

August 13th, 2010, 09:43 PM

i heard the submarin cable connecting from bakun hydroelectric to peninsular malaysia is the longest in the world.was it true?

true...but rumours has it that it has been scrap...as it is costly ....and to many problems as it concerning international waters.....ie.Indonesia

ashraf abdullah

August 16th, 2010, 01:30 PM

true...but rumours has it that it has been scrap...as it is costly ....and to many problems as it concerning international waters.....ie.Indonesia

so..how do they manage the excess electric power?.
sarawak only used 1000kW of electricity but the bakun produce approx 2000kW
~i thought they'll sell it to indonesia.:)

Quiroz

August 16th, 2010, 02:48 PM

true...but rumours has it that it has been scrap...as it is costly ....and to many problems as it concerning international waters.....ie.Indonesia

Scraped??? No way!! Itoyak, i know you dont like Kuching but dont provide anything that is totally untrue..:ohno:

itoyak

August 17th, 2010, 05:01 AM

Scraped??? No way!! Itoyak, i know you dont like Kuching but dont provide anything that is totally untrue..:ohno:

I go to Sarawak every year for the rainforest festival.....dont judge me just because i'm a Sabahan.....:ohno:

Check this out...

http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/in-the-financial-daily/164399-tenaga-no-power-from-bakun.html

Tenaga: No power from Bakun
Written by Isabelle Francis
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 11:42

KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd said it would not be sourcing power from the Bakun hydroelectric dam in Sarawak and has mapped out alternative plans to meet the increasing power demand in the peninsula.

“There will be no transmission from Sarawak in 2015, neither will there be in 2017.

“Bakun’s (and Murum’s) power, according to Sarawak government, is needed for the state. We are… we were just a potential buyer, and since there is no capacity to buy, we will not be buying from Bakun.

“Bakun, as we know now, will not be utilised for semenanjung,” said chairman Tan Sri Leo Moggie at Tenaga’s second quarter (2Q) financial results briefing.

This effectively means the proposed RM10 billion undersea cable project is unlikely to take off. Tenaga and Sarawak Energy Bhd were also supposed to lease the Bakun dam from the owner, Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd.

Bakun is scheduled to start firing its first turbine in 4Q this year and once fully operational by late 2011, it would be able to produce up to 2,400mw. The Murum project will generate 944mw of power.

The latest development increases the possibility of two aluminium smelters being set up in Sarawak — one by Rio Tinto Alcan together with the Cahya Mata Sarawak group and the other by GIIG Holdings Sdn Bhd with Aluminium Corp of China Ltd. GIIG Holdings is a vehicle of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.

Moggie said Tenaga was ‘seriously’ looking at expanding its Manjung plant in Perak, which he describes as the best option to generate more power by 2015.

Asked whether there was a possibility of power transmission from Sarawak beyond 2017, he said: “Sarawak has an advantage of sizeable hydropower reserve. If these reserves were developed in future, obviously we will have to look at them. But until that happens, it doesn’t require us to do specific planning.”

It has been reported that Tenaga is seeking to increase the Manjung plant’s capacity by another 2,000 mw from 2,100mw now, at an estimated cost of at least RM6 billion.

Tenaga posted a net profit of RM1 billion in its second quarter ended Feb 28, 2010 (2QFY10), up 48% from RM674.6 million a year earlier, which was within or above market expectations. The better performance was underpinned by higher electricity demand, a more stable generation cost and foreign exchange translation gain.

Revenue rose 7% to RM7.39 billion from RM6.91 billion. Earnings per share rose to 23.05 sen from 15.56 sen. It declared a six sen per share dividend.

The stronger ringgit against the US dollar and yen contributed to the forex translation gain of RM144.4 million compared to a loss of RM97 million in the corresponding period last financial year. For the first half, the forex translation gain totalled RM99 million.

As at Feb 28, 2010, its borrowings were RM22.38 billion compared with RM22.62 billion as at Aug 31, 2009. Of the borrowings, RM5.57 billion were in yen and RM5.125 billion in US dollars with the rest in ringgit.

Its first half earnings were RM1.71 billion, a turnaround from a net loss of RM269.5 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.8% to RM14.727 billion from RM14.321 billion.

Sales of electricity in the peninsula rose 3.3% or RM436.3 million. Demand grew 8% year-on-year.

The second quarter saw its operating expenses decline by RM13.4 million from RM6.18 billion to RM6.17 billion, mainly due to more stable generation costs as coal prices remained under control.

Its president and CEO Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamed Noh said coal prices were about US$82 (RM263.22) per tonne during the quarter under review. He expects coal prices to trade at an average of US$91 to US$92 per tonne for the year.

Based on a recent analysts note, TNB has locked 45% of its coal requirement at US$60 to US$75 per tonne for 2010.

Che Khalib also expected power demand to continue its uptrend in 3Q and 4Q, but added that the surge “would not be as high” as seen in 2Q.

In 2Q, sales of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia increased by 7.5% or RM476.2 million and the units sold registered a growth of 13.8% compared with the corresponding period.

“We would probably see a high single digit in 3Q and in 4Q, a middle single digit,” added Che Khalib.

He said apart from good demand, the stronger ringgit against the US dollar would also help boost the company’s earnings. Coal is traded in the greenback and accounts for almost 30% of Tenaga’s generation mix.

and here....

http://anilnetto.com/development-issues/as-expected-no-undersea-cables-from-bakun/

p/s- If this report is a lie...then i'm lying too....:ohno:

nazrey

August 26th, 2010, 08:58 AM

SEB in talks with Govt on sale of Bakun power
By JACK WONG Thursday August 26, 2010
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/26/business/6922059&sec=business

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2010/8/26/business/b_02torstein.jpg

Torstein Dale Sjotveit

Company discussing commercial and technical terms on Bakun dam

KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) has been holding regular talks with federal authorities on the purchase of power from the Bakun hydro-electric dam, said chief executive officer Torstein Dale Sjotveit.

“We are discussing the commercial and technical terms (on Bakun) with the Federal (Government),” he said in his maiden media conference here yesterday to announce a series of drastic actions by SEB to curb power theft.

However, Sjotveit declined to reveal at what stage negotiations between the two parties had reached, especially on tariff rates. But he added that he was hoping that an agreement on tariff rates could be sealed by the end of the year.

“It is better to be sooner than later,’’ Sjotveit said.

SEB has also been talking to companies in energy-intensive industries in the Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy (SCORE) on the sale of Bakun power to them, according to Sjotveit.

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by the Federal Government, is the owner of the RM7.3bil Bakun dam, which will have an installed capacity of 2,400 MW.

The Federal Government has agreed that power from the Bakun dam will be used by industries, like aluminium smelters, in SCORE.

Sjotveit said Sarawak’s power demand had grown by about 6% per annum, with current peak demand in excess of 1,000 MW. Syarikat SESCo, a unit of SEB which generates and distributes electricity, has an installed capacity of about 1,260 MW.

On power theft, he said SESCo suffered losses of between RM90mil and RM100mil a year, up from RM50mil four years ago. Sesco’s sales of electricity was about RM1.5bil last year.

Sjotveit said the stolen electricity was used to operate restaurants, karaoke lounges, bars and other businesses. Sibu, located in central Sarawak, has the biggest number of power thieves, topping the list in terms of stolen energy units.

Sjotveit said SEB would cut off power supply to repeated power thieves to cripple their businesses, in addition to prosecuting them and recovering dues owed to SESCo.

“Contractors involved in electricity meter tampering will be banned from working for SESCo for the next five years, in addition to possible legal action.

“SESCo employees involved in power theft will be dismissed immediately as well as facing possible legal action,” he warned.

Sjotveit said some SESCO employees had been sacked for their involvement in meter tampering.

nazrey

October 14th, 2010, 05:24 PM

Bakun to start generating power in June 2011
Posted on October 14, 2010, Thursday
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=68504

http://www.theborneopost.com/newsimages/T03104.jpg

TO BE OPERATIONAL SOON : An aerial view of Bakun dam.

KUCHING: The Bakun Dam in the Belaga district may begin to generate 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity in June next year with the impoundment having started yesterday, said the managing director of Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd Zulkifle Osman.

He said the diversion tunnel gates were closed at 10am and the flooding would take about seven months to reach the minimum operation elevation of 195 metres (above sea level) to run the wet-test of the turbine.

“We are expecting the first commissioning one month after the wet-test of the turbine — June 2011. The first turbine will produce 300MW of electricity,” he told Bernama yesterday.

Sarawak Hidro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, is the developer of the Bakun Dam, which will generate 2,400MW of electricity when all the eight turbines are in place by 2012. The area to be flooded is about the size of Singapore.

The Bakun Dam, the world’s second tallest concrete rock-filled dam, is located on Balui River in the upper Rajang River basin, 37km upstream from Belaga.

The overall cost of Bakun has been put at RM7.3 billion, but due to cost overruns, compensation for delays and interests, the final cost is said to have escalated.

Meanwhile, on the safety measures and precautions during the impoundment, Sarawak Hidro, in a statement, said the public and river users are reminded that entry to the immediate downstream area of the spillway plunge pool would be totally prohibited.

It said water release from the spillway was necessary in the event of flooding to ensure safety of the Bakun Dam and surrounding areas.

“Sarawak Hidro will work closely with Sarawak Rivers Board and Sarawak Department of Irrigation and Drainage to notify the public and river users,” it said.

For those traveling within the Bakun reservoir in the future, Sarawak Hidro said special precautions should be taken to ensure that boats were designed to suit the altered condition whereby stronger winds and waves were anticipated at times due to the large water body.

“Appropriate safety gears have to be on board and life jacket is required for the safety of the users. Sarawak Hidro will provide a boat-landing platform near the dam site for reservoir users,” it said.

During the impoundment, Sarawak Hidro said the flow downstream of the dam would be maintained through a mechanism to release between 150 and 260 cu-m per second of water depending on the reservoir level from the water release outlet to maintain the minimum base flow in the river. Hence, reduction in the downstream water level is envisaged.

“It should be pointed out that river transportation by express boat from Kapit to upstream would be possible all year round when water released from Bakun spillway commences and when the project is fully operational.

“Regular water release through the spillway will increase the downstream water level to aid navigation in Batang Rajang between Kapit and Belaga,” it said.

During normal operation after impoundment, it said the release of flow through the power generation would improve the water quality as water would be tapped from the top 10m to 15m layer which is of good quality to run the turbines. — Bernama

ayee_75

July 5th, 2011, 11:19 AM

just wonder what is the progress of submarine cable from bakun to tanjung leman. Is it already started? how many percent?

dengilo

July 7th, 2011, 04:21 PM

Like never!

nazrey

July 9th, 2011, 07:21 PM

Bakun rock solid — Sarawak Hidro
by Peter Sibon and Wilfred Pilo. Posted on July 2, 2011, Saturday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/02/bakun-rock-solid-—-sarawak-hidro/

KUCHING: The Bakun hydroelectric dam is rock solid, safe and built to the highest international standard.

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd (SHSB) managing director/chief executive officer Zulkifle Osman told The Borneo Post yesterday that the Malaysia China Hydro Joint Venture (MCHJV) consortium, which constructs the dam, had adhered to all specifications stipulated in the contract.

These specifications, he assured, complied with international standards and practices, and also the QA/QC procedures approved by SHSB.

Thus, Zulkifle said, allegations of poor quality concrete mix made by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) were “baseless and mischievous”.

“All cement and concrete samplings were witnessed by Sarawak Hidro’s quality controllers and accordingly approved. The article is irresponsible and cites dubious sources making several erroneous statements and allegations,” he said.

The news was highlighted in the Hornbill Unleash news portal. It alleged that an NGO claimed that Sinohydro, a Chinese state-owned enterprise and China’s biggest dam builder, had used improper construction practices and it was so widespread that the dam thus posed a safety concern.

The MCHJV, a joint venture between Sinohydro and Sime Engineering, is the biggest contractor of this mammoth RM7.2 billion effort.

Zulkifle said that in instances when the contractor found local supplies of cement to be of inferior quality it was immediately replaced with higher grade ones from other sources.

“It should be noted that the construction process of the dam and its ancillary structures will continue to be stringently monitored by the client, who had also appointed an Independent Board of Consultants (BOC) with extensive expertise in dam construction.

“The BOC, which comprises six members (4 internal and 2 local experts), had carried out 14 site inspections from June 2003 to review the design and construction of the dam and its ancillary structures, and the performance of the contractor.

“We are confident that the dam and its ancillary structures have been constructed to the highest international standards and safe as confirmed by the BOC,” stressed Zulkifle.

Meanwhile, Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing, who had been involved, directly and indirectly, in the dam since its inception in 1982 gave an assurance that the Bakun dam was built to last and it is structurally sound. It was also made after taking into consideration both economic and human factors.

He said those living downstream of the dam had no reason to fear that the dam would collapse and bring disaster upon them.

“What we have today is the product of many leading brains in the business of building dams around the world,” said Masing.

nazrey

July 9th, 2011, 07:28 PM

Bakun Hydroelectric Dam
by By Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on July 6, 2011, Wednesday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/06/bakun-hydroelectric-dam/

http://www.upislam.com/images/76223782572484192720.jpg
BIRDS EYE VIEW: An aerial view of the Bakun HEP Dam.

KUCHING: The vital ‘reliability run’ of Bakun Hydroelectric Dam will start today before power can be tapped for commercialisation by Aug 6, says Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd managing director and chief executive officer Zulkiflie Osman.

He said the ‘reliability run’ which is the last phase in a series of trial runs before commercialisation must be carried out within one month.

“If everything goes well, we can expect the power from Bakun to enter the Sesco grid system by end of the ‘reliability run’ which is Aug 6,” Zulkiflie told reporters on the sidelines of Asia Infrastructure Summit 2011 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.

He added that he and his top aides made up of 20 locals and six expatriates were now monitoring the dam before the first turbine is expected to harness energy by early next month.

“Everything has to be done and monitored very carefully as any mistake may cause major catastrophe which we cannot afford to make,” he said.

Energy from Bakun will be channelled to the energy-intensive projects in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) area. Among them are aluminium smelting, pulp and paper manufacturing and glass panel manufacturing.

Zulkifle, who had led a team of engineers on the Pergau Dam in Terengganu hydroelectricity project, was roped in for the Bakun project for his vast knowledge on hydro technology.

Bakun dam has eight massive turbines which can produce 2,400 megawatt of electricity when it is fully operational next year.

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had said in his winding up speech at the DUN last week that initially the state government through Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) had made an offer to the federal government to buy Bakun Dam but the offer was rejected.

“Instead, the state government through SEB has now secured a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) on June 1, 2011 with the federal government through Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, to sell electricity from Bakun dam to the latter at 6.25 sen per kilowatt hour with an annual increase of 1.5 per cent.

“The Prime Minister has from the beginning assured us that energy from Bakun will be used for the development of industries in Sarawak,” he said.

Taib, who is also Minister of Planning and Resource Management, said the RM7.2 billion Bakun Dam was a major step forward in the development of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

“With this supply of power now secured, SEB will be able to negotiate more firmly with the investors on the price, size and duration of the investors’ power requirement,” he said.

The Chief Minister stressed that the additional cost to SEB in delivering power to the consumers included the construction of transmission lines and electricity sub-stations.

“Once their respective PPAs are signed, investors in SCORE can immediately proceed with the implementation of their projects,” he added.

http://www.upislam.com/images/87505930977701051641.jpg
LAND OF THE HORNBILLS: Map of Sarawak and its HEP potentials.

nazrey

August 6th, 2011, 08:52 AM

Energy boost from Bakun
The first 300mw produced by one of dam’s eight turbines comes on line today
by Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on August 6, 2011, Saturday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/08/06/energy-boost-from-bakun/

http://www.theborneopost.com/newsimages/A005799723808057832.jpg
SOURCE OF POWER: An aerial view of the RM7.5 billion Bakun HEP Dam.

KUCHING: The RM7.5 billion Bakun hydroelectric power (HEP) Dam will officially make available 300 megawatt of power to the grid system starting today, revealed Sarawak Hidro chief executive officer cum managing director Zulkifle Osman.

He said the 300 megawatt would be produced by one of the eight turbines.

The Bakun HEP has a maximum capacity of 2,400 megawatt when fully operational next year.

“Starting today we are making 300 megawatt of power available for Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) to use,” Zulkifle told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

He added that the Reliability Run (RR) which started on July 5, ended yesterday to ensure all the machines were reliable.

Last night, Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing, who happened to be in Kapit, flew to Bakun to witness the handover ceremony between the Bakun contractor of the turbines Alstom Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd to Sarawak Hidro.

Masing said it was indeed a historic event and hoped that the Bakun HEP would stabilise the power supply in the state and hoped that the people in the surrounding areas would benefit from the mega project.

“I am pleased to witness this event since I was involved with the Bakun project since it was mooted in the early 1980s,”

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud told the media during the closing of the last state assembly sitting that initially the state government, through the SEB, had made a proposal to the federal government to buy Bakun Dam but the offer was rejected.

“Instead, the state government through SEB has managed to secure a 30-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) on 1 June, 2011 with the federal government through Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd, to sell electricity from Bakun dam to the latter at 6.25 sen per kilowatt hour with an annual increase of 1.5 per cent,” said Taib.

Taib who is also the Minister of Planning and Resource Management said that the Prime Minister had from the beginning assured the state that Bakun’s energy would be used for the development of Sarawak industries.

He reiterated that Bakun Dam was a major step forward in the development of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

“With this supply of power now secured, SEB will be able to negotiate more firmly with the investors the price, size and duration of power requirement,” added Taib.

The Chief Minister stressed that the additional cost to SEB in delivering power to the consumers include the construction of the transmission lines and electrical sub-stations.

Sarawak Hidro is a unit of Ministry of Finance Inc and owner of the Bakun dam while Sesco is a wholly-owned unit of Sarawak Energy Bhd.

nazrey

August 9th, 2011, 07:05 PM

Bakun an eco-tourism goldmine
by James Ling reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on August 8, 2011, Monday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/08/08/bakun-an-eco-tourism-goldmine/

http://www.theborneopost.com/newsimages/5619.jpg

SCENIC BAKUN:
A bird’s eye view of the power intake structure with log boom fronting it.

People in Sg Asap resettlement area must work with SEB to tap its potential – Masing KAPIT: Bakun is not only a giant hydroelectric powerhouse but its lake, which is about the size of the Republic of Singapore, is also an eco-tourism goldmine.

Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said what the people in the surrounding areas, especially those in Sg Asap resettlement area, should do now was come together, form a body and work closely with Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) to manage the lake.

He cautioned that the lake and the numerous islands in the catchment area would only remain a “potential” goldmine if the people do not tweak their mindset and be willing to work hard.

“Opportunity alone is not good enough if the people do not take the initiative to equip themselves with the mentality and willingness to tap the opportunity. The potential (for eco-tourism) is there and the opportunity is opened,” Masing pointed out.

“You know why you have to get yourselves organised and manage the lake? It is simply because if you don’t then people from outside will come in and take over,” Masing said during an interview in his residence here on Saturday.

Also present were political secretaries to the Chief Minister Wilson Nyabong Ijang and Angeline Umis Tujok, Kapit Resident Dahim Nadot and Walikota of Kapit District Council Philomon Nuing.

Masing had just returned from Bakun after witnessing the handing over of the ‘Taking-Over’ certificate of the first turbine between Sarawak Hydro Sdn Berhad (SHSB) and turbine owner ALSTOM Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd – a firm based in France.

He emphasised that the people of Sg Asap must work closely with SEB to tap what the lake had to offer to improve their livelihood.

“For example, a body must be formed by the Sg Asap community to work together with SEB to regularise the houses (to be built) within the lake and to manage it properly.

“Do not erect houses anywhere you like as it will serve as an eyesore, like squatters on the lake. So, proper management to take care of such matter needs to be put in place.”