THE State Government welcomed the passing of the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2022, which will pave the way for Sabah to regain regulatory control over electricity supply.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the two bills were tabled following the high-powered meeting initiated by him and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan in Putrajaya in August to set the plan in motion for Sabah to regulate its own electricity and gas supply as well as regain control of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).
“Plans are now being rolled out to include setting up the Sabah Energy Commission so that electricity supply regulatory authority can be transferred from the Federal Government to Sabah,” he said.
On Sabah’s side, the State Government is expected to table the Electric Supply Enactment Bill, Renewable Energy Enactment Bill and Energy Commission Enactment Bill at the State Assembly in November.
Following that, Hajiji said the State Government expects to take back SESB with zero liabilities once the SESB Transformation Plan is completed within five to seven years from now.
According to him, the State Government is working hard to ensure a smooth transition and that everything would go according to plan. Parliament passed the two bills by a majority voice vote after the second reading on Oct 3.
Tabling the bills, Takiyuddin said it was in preparation for the reassignment of autonomous power in the supply of electricity to the Sabah Government.
Takiyuddin also said the amendments to the Renewable Energy Act 2011 (Act 725) and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Act 2011 (Act 726) were in line with the government’s commitment to review the implementation of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement related to the autonomous rights and powers allocated under the Federal Constitution to the states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Amendments to the two Acts included a new subsection that gives the Minister the power to suspend wholly or any provision of the two acts in different parts of Malaysia.
