New Straits Times 23 Dec 09;
THE government decided to supply the electricity generated at the Bakun Dam to Peninsular Malaysia rather than Sabah because of cost considerations.
Deputy Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Noriah Kasnon said constructing infrastructure in Sabah, where the terrain was challenging, was costly.
She told Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap the government's intention to supply power generated at Bakun to the peninsula was a way of reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
She told the house that 90 per cent of power stations in the peninsula depended on fossil fuels, such as diesel, which were subject to fluctuating market prices.
Noriah said the government was considering developing hydroelectric plants in Ulu Padas and Liwagu, in Sabah, to reduce electricity shortages in the state.
On another matter, the house was told the media had acted responsibly in its coverage of issues between Malaysia and Indonesia, despite some attempts to sensationalise it.
Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohillan Pillay said the Malaysian media did not go overboard in reporting issues although their Indonesian counterparts got worked up in a frenzy.
He told Senator Abdul Rahman Bakar that the two countries had formed an eminent persons group to improve ties.
