Malaysia's state-owned power utility Tenaga Nasional (TNB) is about to complete the 382MW Ulu Jelai hydroelectric project.
Located in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, the hydro project is said to be Tenaga Nasional’s second clean energy plant after more than 15 years.
The project, which is being built by Salini Impregilo, is estimated to cost RM4.2bn ($1.05bn).
Salini commenced the construction work on the hydroelectric project in 2011 and currently more than 95% of it is complete.
Scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2016, the project involves construction of the Susu dam on the Bertram River and an underground plant, which comprises two Francis turbines each with 191MW capacity.
TNB said in a statement: “Almost 750,000 cubic meters of concrete were used to built the dam using roller-compacted concrete (RCC) – a relatively modern method in the engineering world.”
According to a report by the United Nations, the project is expected to reduce around 250,000t of CO2 equivalent annually.
TNB expects the Ulu Jelai project to further boost the country’s ability to meet power demand at peak hours.
Upon commission, the Ulu Jelai project will increase TNB's total installed capacity from hydroelectric power plants from currently 2,161MW to 2,533MW.
The project is expected to contribute to Malaysia's aim to increase total power generation capacity from renewable sources to 11% by 2020.
Image: The Ulu Jelai project hydroelectric project in Malaysia. Photo: courtesy of Tenaga Nasional Berhad.