KUCHING: The widespread power outage experienced in the city which lasted between one and three hours was due to a transmission fault.
Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) grid system operator Yong Ying Poh said one of the two 275kV transmission lines that connected Engkilili to Mambong was taken out of service at 11.47am yesterday to replace a failed capacitor voltage transformer.
However, the remaining circuit tripped unexpectedly as a result of a line fault at 2.12pm, he said.
Since the second line tripped, the only source of supply to Kuching was from the Sejingkat and Tun Abdul Rahman power stations.
“These stations do not have sufficient capacity to meet demands in Kuching without support from elsewhere in the state.
“To keep the system stable, it was necessary to turn off supply to some areas around Kuching for up to 45 minutes at a time,” he said.
Sparse power outages were also reported in the outskirts of Kuching such as in Padawan, Bau and Lundu areas.
Yong said power had to be restored in stages.
“Our maintenance crew was working to complete the replacement job so that the other circuit could be put back into service immediately.
“We have began an investigation into the underlying cause of today’s incident.
“We will use that information to continue to improve the standard of reliability in Sarawak,” he said in a press statement issued late yesterday.