Extracted from Malaysiakini

Feasibility studies on four more dams in S'wak

Tony Thien | Mar 6, 09 5:00pm

The Sarawak government has commissioned an Australian consultancy firm to undertake feasibility studies on four of the 12 hydro electricity dams planned to be built in the state within the next decade or so.

Hydro Tasmania Consulting started work in July last year on a Aus$1.6 million (RM3.75 million) project that involves the feasibility studies on four hydro power plants in Sarawak – Metjawah, Punun Bah, Pelagus and Belaga in the Rajang River Basin.

The studies will be completed in August this year.

According to a March 4, 2009 report in the International Water Power magazine, three of the proposed hydro dams - Metjawah, Punun Bah and Pelagus -  are low head projects with capacities ranging from 100MW to 216MW.

At Metjawah, the project will have a 10-metre high concrete weir.
                                
Belaga is what has been called a high head project that would have a 80-metre high RCC (roller compacted concrete) and installed capacity of 230MW.

A delegation from the state government and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) were in Australia earlier this week to meet with company officials and potential investors.

The report said: "Hydro Tasmania Consulting is working on feasibility studies for four projects in Sarawak and is in talks with the Malaysian government and Sarawak Energy Bhd that it said could lead to further business opportunities."
                                    
The firm's general manager Scott Baddiley was quoted as saying:  "We are hopeful of developing further business opportunities following the visit and as a result of the current work we are doing in Sarawak."

Resistance from environmental NGOs

Sarawak’s existing hydro electricity dam which is already operating is in Batang Ai in Sri Aman Division. It was built at a cost of about RM600 million with a yen credit from Japan in the 1970s.

The second dam is at Bakun which when completed in 2011 after several delays will have a total installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts.

Funded by the federal government, it will be leased to a joint venture company comprising Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Sarawak Electricity Bhd (SEB) for a specific period of time.

The third dam will be at Murum, 70km upstream from Bakun hydro dam in central Sarawak and the construction work has been awarded by the Sarawak government at a contract price of RM2.63 billion to Three Gorges Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a Chinese subsidiary of Three Gorges Corporation, builder of the world’s largest hydro dam in the Tangtze River.

Work on Murum is expected to be completed in 2013 to produce about 940MW of electricity.

Sarawak plans to develop its hydro power potentials from 12 identified sites to meet domestic and national power requirements.

Many environmental NGOs, both local and foreign, are protesting the development of the hydro dams.