Power for Pensiangan families – thanks to Shell
Published on: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Villagers from Kampung Buayan-Tiku with representatives from Shell, Tonibung and Pacos.
Kota Kinabalu: Shell’s Access to Energy (A2E), a social investment programme aimed at providing affordable and continuous electricity supply from renewable sources for those not connected to the electricity grid, is benefiting 42 families in Pensiangan.Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd (SSPC) collaborated with local non-governmental partners, Tonibung and Pacos Trust, and started a pilot project at Kampung Sabibingkol. The 42 families were initially relying primarily on portable generators that require petrol or diesel that can reach a high of about RM6.70 per litre.
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The Sabibingkol community alongside Tonibung and the Shell employee volunteers worked together to install a hybrid micro-hydro system and solar grids to ensure continuous sustainable electricity even amidst the changing monsoon seasons that affect this region.
With the completion of the system, the community was also trained to perform basic maintenance activities for the system to ensure that they are capable of sustaining the infrastructure in the long-term.
According to Siti Sulaiman, Country Chair of Shell Malaysia and Senior Vice-President, Upstream Malaysia, a Socio-Economic Development Centre was also established for the benefit of the community to learn new cottage industries which are currently being run by the women of Sabibingkol.
Through training conducted by Pacos Trust and their newfound supply of electricity, they can now pursue alternative sources of livelihood for their families.
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With the results from the pilot project in Sabibingkol, Shell went on to commit to the provision of A2E solutions to another Sabahan village, Kampung Buayan-Tiku, benefiting the 70 families living there. Here, a new micro hydro turbine which was installed and connected enabled villagers to now enjoy electricity for lighting their households, refrigerators and appliances.
“Our aim here is to build energy and economic resilience among the communities through access to micro-hydro and solar technology. Villagers now have continuous running electricity to earn their livelihoods and sustain themselves. Socio-economic training are also provided to these villagers through our partnership with Tonibung and Pacos Trust,” said Siti.
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Shell Malaysia aims to continue providing affordable energy that enables improvements in socio-economic activities and education while committing to further uplift the rural communities through its A2E programme.
Additionally, A2E also focuses on powering the lives of the communities through the provision of cleaner and more efficient energy. This is part of Shell’s Powering Progress strategy, where significant impact is created through meaningful contributions to the community where it operates in.
To learn more, please visit https://www.shell.com.my/sustainability/communities/access-to-energy.html
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