SIPITANG: The Sabah Southern Madani Link (SSML) project, currently under construction and expected to be completed by 2028, will play a key role in strengthening Sabah’s electricity supply grid by balancing power distribution between the State’s west and east coasts.
Sabah Electricity Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the project to link the electricity grids of the two areas is crucial, as the East Coast is currently facing a shortfall in power generation capacity, adding that gas-fired power plants, which generate electricity at a lower cost, are currently concentrated on Sabah’s West Coast.
“That is why we need to have this interconnection line linking the west and east coasts, enabling lower-cost electricity to be channelled to areas on Sabah’s East Coast where demand is greatest,” he said.
Stretching 330km, the SSML project will complete Sabah’s 275-kilovolt (kV) transmission network, allowing electricity to be transmitted through either the existing Penampang-Sandakan line across central Sabah or the new Sipitang-Tawau link in the south.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will officiate the SSML project here today (Saturday). Mohd Yaakob said strengthening the backbone transmission grid is also based on lessons from an unexpected incident last year.
He said on Sept 13 last year, a 275kV interconnection transmission tower in Penampang linking Sabah’s West Coast and East Coast was dislodged by a landslide, resulting in a power outage on the East Coast.
“That incident highlights how important it is for us to have this new connection to complete our 275kV backbone transmission grid,” he said, adding that the aim is to ensure a more resilient state power system.
He expressed strong confidence in the utility company’s engineering and technical teams’ ability to deliver the mega project, citing their solid track record.
Based on information provided by Sabah Electricity, the project is being implemented specifically to strengthen the reliability, safety and resilience of Sabah’s electricity transmission system through the construction of a second 275kV transmission route in the southern part of the state.
On the current progress of the project, the high-impact infrastructure scheme, which has a total cost of RM198 million, is 17 per cent complete as of May 26, 2026.
A breakdown of the project’s physical progress shows that the planning and design phase is currently the most advanced at 43 per cent, followed by civil works and equipment installation, each at 14 per cent, while procurement stands at 10 per cent.
The project officially began on Sept 17, 2025, and is expected to take 36 months to complete, with full handover scheduled by Sept 16, 2028.
According to the project timeline, installation and construction works at the Sipitang site are scheduled to begin in July 2026, while full testing and commissioning are expected to be carried out in August 2028.
Once completed, the project is expected to ensure a more stable and efficient distribution of electricity supply for all categories of consumers, including residential areas, commercial premises, schools, hospitals and the industrial sector in Sabah.
According to the scope of works, the SSML project involves the construction of a 60 km double-circuit 275kV overhead transmission line from Mengalong to Upper Padas, as well as an interconnection facility at the Mengalong main intake substation.
Other technical works include primary and secondary engineering design, the supply of lattice-type towers, 350 mm² ACSR Twin Bison conductors, 48-core optical ground wire (OPGW), logistics management, earthworks, slope protection, and pre-commissioning control system testing.
