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Extracted from Malaysiakini.com
Undersea
cables: Avoid another toll saga
Abdul Hakim Bujang
Jan 22,
A
According
to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) state chief Wan Zainal Abidin Wan Senusi, this
would avoid another toll dilemma, where the rates are increased periodically.
He was also skeptical that the idea was based mainly on the intention to supply
cheaper power to Peninsular Malaysia.
The PKR leader alleged that there could be a hidden agenda of profiteering.
"The cost of the project is very high. We must learn from the toll highway
episode. We don't want the people to suffer from a rate review syndrome and
every time it would be blamed on the high cost of the project," he said.
He urged the relevant authorities to conduct a study, particularly in terms of
cost and supply.
Wan Zainal explained that the cost in question should not be limited to the
price of the project because it would also involve long-term maintenance.
How secure is it?
The opposition leader was also not overwhelmed by the talks that the undersea
cables would be a record breaking feat.
"I don't know whether it has been done elsewhere, it may be a world record
but there is a security risk. If anything goes wrong, supply would be disrupted
and could trigger losses up to billions of ringgit," he said.
The bigger issue, he pointed out, was the security poser as there was no
guarantee that the project would be invincible from natural disasters.
"They might think that the cable would be within a safe stretch but
imagine if something goes wrong, say an earthquake somewhere in the region,
there is no assurance that the cable would not be affected," he stressed.
If such a calamity struck, Wan Zainal said, power cannot be restored
immediately.
It would take a few days for divers to locate the affected areas even with the
help of high-tech equipment, he noted.
"The next question is how long would it take to carry the engineers to the
site to perform underwater repair works. Assuming that the damage happens
during the peak of the monsoon season, how much longer will it (repair works)
take?” he asked.
"Imagine the power disruption to the area depending on supply from Bakun
and the kind of damage it would spell for the manufacturing sector," he
added.
Open tender
Should the government proceed with the project, the PKR leader said only the
best qualified contractors must be appointed via an open tender at a fair
contract price.
He also
wondered what had happened to the earlier proposal of selling Bakun power to
"Why are they so quiet now over the
trans-boundary power grid, it was suppose to be cheaper and safer," he
said.
Earlier, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the
government was reviving the RM10 billion undersea cable project.
He reportedly said it would take five years to install the 700km-long
transmission lines and 670 km-long undersea cables from Bakun to Ulu Sedili in
Johor.