SABAH Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) in collaboration with the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry and the Energy Commission have agreed to appoint a concessionaire to undertake supply of electricity to squatters in Sabah and Labuan. 

SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the new approach will help resolve the long-standing issue of power theft in squatter colonies. 

“This is a new approach agreed upon by SESB, KeTSA and the Energy Commission to resolve rampant power theft in squatter areas.

“We will appoint a concessionaire to channel power supply in these areas,” he told Bernama today.

Yaakob said there are nearly 200 squatter colonies in Sabah and Labuan.

He said a pilot project will commence in Sandakan, Sabah, this year before being expanded to Telipok, Kinarut and Labuan.

“We will try our best to cover all the squatter colonies in Sabah, especially those gazetted under the Refugee Community Settlement Scheme,” he said. 

He also said the problem of frequent power outages would be resolved through an automation system. 

“Whenever there is a trip, this automation system will reconnect automatically. This is being implemented in Sabah and Labuan,” he said. – Bernama, June 19, 2022.