State approves solar-wind power plant for Bario Highlands

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/6/3/nation/4032782&sec=nation

Wednesday June 3, 2009

State approves solar-wind power plant for Bario Highlands

MIRI: The state government has given the green light for a pioneer plant in the Bario Highlands to generate electricity from sunlight and wind – to replace a RM10mil hydro-electric dam which failed for lack of water.

The project, the first of its kind in the state, will use a combination of solar and wind energy to generate power for use in the 2,000m-high mountainous region at the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

State Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said the state Cabinet had recently decided that solar-wind power was the best option for the highlands.

“The failed hydro-electric dam project will be replaced by this hybrid plant,’’ he told a gathering at the Kelabit and Lun Bawang Highlanders Club here on Monday night.

“However, there may be a need to build a few micro-hydrodams to generate power for villages that are far away.”

The Bario Highlands, located some 300km from Miri, is home to 6,000 people.

In the early 1990s, the state government built the dam to generate electricity for the folks there who had to rely on diesel fuel to power their generators.

However, the dam failed to function due to low river water pressure. The state authorities tried in vain to revive the project, including enlisting the help of dam experts.

Two years ago, a proposal was made to build another hydro-electric dam to replace the one which failed.

However, the state Cabinet has now decided that the best option would be the hybrid solar-wind plant because the highlands have plenty of sunshine and wind for most of the year.