SARES PHASE 2 PROJECT PROVIDES ELECTRICITY SUPPLY TO 140 VILLAGES IN SARAWAK

KUCHING, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- A total of 140 villages across various districts in Sarawak, involving 2,755 houses, now enjoy a stable electricity supply, thanks to the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES) Phase 2 project.

Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said the project began on Oct 22, 2020, and was fully completed on June 21 last year.

“I am happy to learn that the dream of many families in Kapit to have access to electricity has now come true, ending their more than 30-year wait for this essential supply.

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“This solar power generation system is designed to produce electricity for basic use, with a maximum limit of 2 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day for each household,” she said during the SARES Phase 2 project handover ceremony here today.

According to her, the SARES Phase 2 project is a continuation of Phase 1, which covered 43 villages (in Phase 1A) and 17 villages (in Phase 1B), benefiting a total of 1,429 households.

Since its launch in 2016, the SARES project has provided solar and micro-hydro power systems to supply electricity to remote villages that are difficult to connect to the grid.

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Implemented under the BELB Program by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development's Infrastructure Division (KKDW), the project is carried out by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) with the aim of improving the comfort of life and socio-economic well-being of the local community.

At the event, Rubiah handed over the project to SEB’s subsidiary, SESCO Bhd, through its chief executive officer Lau Kim Swee, witnessed by Sarawak Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi.

Rubiah said that SEB, as the state authority, will be responsible for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the SARES project.

-- BERNAMA