Power outage hits Kuching, Sri Aman and Miri
Separate tripping incidents along the Kemena-Bintulu and Similajau-Tudan transmission lines cause power supply disruption.
MIRI: Two separate tripping incidents along the Kemena-Bintulu and Similajau-Tudan transmission lines caused a disruption to power supply in Kuching City, Sri Aman and Miri City today.
Sarawak Energy Group chief operating officer Lu Yew Hung said the Kuching and Sri Aman power outage resulted from one of the Kemena-Bintulu transmission lines tripping at 12.45pm.
An automatic defence system to prevent a longer power outage was quickly put in place.
“It minimises the impact outage in Kuching and Sri Aman, lessening disruption time and maintaining critical facilities such as the airport and hospital,” he said in a statement here today.
He said power was fully restored in Kuching and Sri Aman at 3.10pm.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience experienced by our customers due to these outages,” he said adding that until the completion of the 500-kv second transmission line, the risk of major power outages involving Sarawak Energy Berhad transmission lines remained.
He said, once completed, the 500-kv transmission line would strengthen the reliability of electrical supply in the central and western part of Sarawak.
As for Miri City in northern Sarawak, he said, a double tripping incident occurred at 4.12pm along the Similajau-Tudan transmission line affecting the area for a short time. Power was fully restored by late afternoon.
“Sarawak Energy was able to improve recovery times in these incidents due to system modification following recommendations from an international consultant,” he added.
Meanwhile, a check by Bernama revealed the power outage in Miri City affected many private residential and commercial premises this afternoon with many complaining of sweltering heat due to the hot weather.
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It also affected the operation of traffic lights in Lutong and Piasau here, among the busiest areas in the city, resulting in a massive traffic jam during rush hour.