By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is stepping up energy transition efforts to boost supply security and support investment amid rising global oil prices and Middle East tensions.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the initiative by the Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) is timely and well suited to help the state address challenges arising from the conflict in the Middle East.
Chairing the first Sabah Energy Council meeting for 2026 at Menara Kinabalu on Friday, Hajiji, who is also the council chairman, said the state government remains committed to strengthening energy security through a balanced and resilient strategy.
"This includes leveraging the state's natural gas resources, developing hydropower, adopting Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) technology, as well as exploring pumped storage hydro projects as large-scale storage to enhance the flexibility and stability of Sabah's grid system.
"Under the energy transition initiative, Sabah is moving towards increasing the use of renewable energy and natural gas as alternatives to diesel and marine fuel oil," he said in a statement.
Hajiji said the development of the sector is also a key foundation in attracting investment and driving industrial growth in Sabah.
"A stable, sustainable and competitive supply will continue to support the growth of strategic industrial areas, thereby creating more investment and employment opportunities for the people of Sabah," he said.
The Chief Minister said Sabah recorded several key achievements in strengthening its electricity supply system throughout 2025.
Among them were the completion of the 100 megawatt/400 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System project in August 2025, the largest in Southeast Asia.
Also included was the commissioning of the Sabah–Sarawak grid interconnection in December 2025, enabling the import of 50MW of electricity.
At the same time, electricity supply reliability also improved, with the System Average Interruption Duration Index reduced from 416 minutes in 2024 to 338 minutes in 2025, he said.
During the meeting, the council approved intervention measures under the Sabah Rural Electrification Committee initiative to accelerate 100 per cent rural electricity coverage.
The government will also strengthen grid infrastructure, including the development of the Southern Link, to enhance system reliability, particularly on Sabah's East Coast, Hajiji said.
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