SABAH DEVELOPMENT BOOST: SOUTHERN LINK PHASE 1A AMONG THREE KEY PROJECTS NEXT YEAR

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- The Federal Government will focus on three development projects in Sabah, including the Southern Link Phase 1A Transmission Line in the East Coast area, as part of its ongoing commitment to address the state’s electricity supply issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the other two priority projects were the construction of the Sabah Heart Centre at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, and the construction of a new road from Kalabakan to Simanggaris, the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Kalabakan.

Fadillah, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said the three projects would be handled by his ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Works.

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“In line with the announcement of Budget 2026, there are a total of 1,143 programmes or projects involving RM6.89 billion in allocations, with 188 of them being new programmes or projects.

“These three projects are among those prioritised next year,” he said in a statement issued after chairing the Special Coordination Meeting on Monitoring Sabah Development Programmes/Projects 2025 at the Sabah Federal Secretary’s Office here today.

Fadillah said the meeting was held to discuss the Sabah Delayed (Sick) Project Status Report, as well as the Rolling Plan 5 of the 12th Malaysia Plan (RP5 12MP) 2025 Development Project Performance and the Implementation Mechanism for 13MP Rolling Plan 1 Projects for 2026.

He said it reflected the shared commitment of the Federal and Sabah Governments to work collectively in monitoring and evaluating the smooth implementation of development projects in the state, while removing stumbling blocks.

“Overall, the performance of Development Expenditure under RP5 12MP as of Nov 3, 2025, at the national-level stood at 71.97 per cent or RM61.89 billion, compared to the original allocation of RM86 billion for 9,516 projects.

“For Sabah, which recorded the highest number of projects among all states at 1,294 projects, the development expenditure performance under RP5 12MP as of Nov 3, 2025, was 70.13 per cent or RM4.17 billion, compared to the original allocation of RM5.94 billion,” he said.

Fadillah said the meeting served as a platform for both the Federal Government and the Sabah Government to examine, discuss and share views on outstanding issues to ensure that Federal development projects in Sabah coud be implemented smoothly and effectively.

He explained that delays were caused by factors such as contractor weaknesses, material supply issues, and weather conditions. Following discussions, it was found that nine sick projects were expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

On Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry’s (PETRA) project performance in Sabah, Fadillah said the current development expenditure under RP5 12MP stood at RM674.3 million, representing 94.5 per cent of the RM713.1 million allocated for 2025.

He said the spending covered 88 projects, including 27 flood mitigation, coastal erosion prevention and river conservation projects; 17 water supply projects; 16 sewerage service projects; and 28 projects to strengthen electricity supply.

Following the Budget 2026 announcement, he said 88 projects — 74 continuation projects and 14 new ones — would be implemented under the ministry next year.

Among the new PETRA projects to be prioritised next year are the Sungai Moyog Integrated River Basin Development Project, involving the construction of bunds, river upgrades and related works (Packages 2A, 3A and 4) with a cost of RM252 million.

“Other projects include the installation of main transmission and distribution pipes along with storage tanks in parts of Tawau at a cost of RM236.6 million, and the upgrading of the Inanam oxidation pond into a regional sewage treatment plant — for the central catchment area of Inanam, Kota Kinabalu — at a cost of RM536 million,” he said.

-- BERNAMA