SIPITANG: 13 June 2026 – A new 330km electricity transmission line will strengthen Sabah’s power grid and support the development of the ASEAN Power Grid, Malaysia’s prime minister has said.
The Sabah Southern MADANI Link (SSML) project – a 275kV line connecting Sipitang on the west coast to Tawau in the east – will not only stabilise power distribution across the state but also position Sabah as a key player in regional energy integration, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Sabah has a strategic position because it can be connected to Sarawak, and from there to Kalimantan and the southern Philippines,” he said.
Mr Anwar was speaking at the project’s ground-breaking ceremony at the Lundayeh Cultural Hall in Sipitang on Saturday.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, and Sabah’s Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe were also in attendance.
The prime minister stressed that a stable and sufficient electricity supply was fundamental to economic growth, attracting investment, and industrial development.
“You cannot talk about rapid economic growth without a sufficient and stable electricity supply,” he said.
According to Mr Anwar, most of Sabah’s power generation is currently concentrated on the west coast, while demand on the east coast continues to rise. The SSML will address this imbalance and enhance the state’s long-term energy security.
The prime minister also linked the project to the broader ASEAN Energy Grid initiative, which is being developed in stages.
Initial connections already involve Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, he said, with future expansion planned to include Sarawak and undersea links to Kalimantan and the southern Philippines.
Mr Anwar said infrastructure projects such as the SSML demonstrated the government’s commitment to ensuring development was not concentrated only in major cities, but also reached rural and interior areas – including the dense jungles of southern Sabah.
The project began in September 2025 and is scheduled for completion within 36 months.
The prime minister also expressed his appreciation to the engineers, technical staff and field workers who are working far from their families to ensure the project runs smoothly.
