Sesco sets the record straight on power outages in Song

Song, a town plagued with many problems.

KUCHING: Up to July 10 this year, Song recorded less than 10 power outages, excluding three planned power shutdowns, clarified Sesco Bhd managing director Lu Yew Hung.

“This is despite the complexity of the long tower line that runs from Sarikei, Kanowit and Kapit before the supply reaches Song,” he said in a statement in response to an article published by The Borneo Post on July 6 entitled ‘Song hardly a song in so many aspects’.

He added that the three planned shutdowns carried out so far this year was for reinforcement works, and it had affected supply to Song residents.

“As part of our plan to increase the reliability of electricity supply in Song, we are adding an additional 123kV tower line, scheduled for completion by end 2017.

“Once this is completed, Song will enjoy minimal power interruption.”

The Borneo Post had quoted former Song councillor Toh Tze Hua, as saying that the unreliable supply of electricity and water were quite unbearable in Song.

Toh said power trips due to fluctuating electricity supply were frequent, sometimes once or twice a day.

On the issue that the town had been experiencing an ‘overdose of power’ that led to failure of electrical appliances, and that the polyclinic caught fire recently after the refrigerator used to store medicines malfunctioned due to excessive current, Lu pointed out: At that time, the polyclinic was powered by their own backup generator set.”

The Borneo Post article also stated: “The unstable electricity supply also triggered a domino effect in Song town, cutting off water supply and causing the system at various facilities, especially the bank, to go bonkers”.

To that, Lu said: “The water supply system runs on a standby generator in the case of power outage, as do other essential services like health”.

Lu also pointed out that the electricity supply of Sesco did not have impact on ATMs as these machines had always been ‘temporarily out of service’.

The Borneo Post had written that the ATM of the only bank in Song was always out of service due to the unstable electricity supply and poor Internet connection. -Borneo Post.