Sarawak Energy Berhad has awarded the contract for the main civil works of the 1,285MW Baleh Hydroelectric Plant in Malaysia to a joint venture (JV) owned by China Gezhouba Group and Untang Jaya.

The contract given by its subsidiary SEB Power also includes the construction of the dam on the Baleh River along with the intake structure, spillway and penstocks in the state of Sarawak.

Construction activities of the 204m high concrete faced rockfill dam are slated to commence in October 2018. The Malaysian hydro power project is planned to be fully commissioned in 2025.

Once operational, it will generate additional renewable energy needed to help Sarawak’s vision of turning into a developed state by 2030.

For China Gezhouba, the Baleh hydro power project contract marks its foray into the Malaysian construction industry. The Chinese construction and engineering company claims to have built over 100 hydro power projects.

On the other hand, Untang Jaya is a Sarawak-based contractor which has 30% stake in the joint venture with China Gezhouba.

Sarawak Energy chairman Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi said: “We have a very structured Procurement Policies and Procedures (PPP) which is in line with international and industry best practices. This is to ensure that we work with the best in class contractors to deliver high quality projects that meet our requirements.

“The signing of this contract is an avenue for sharing of expertise between China Gezhouba Group Company limited and our own local contractor Untang Jaya Sdn Bhd. At the same time, it is also line with Sarawak Energy’s aim to support the State’s initiatives to maximize local and Bumiputra content in our procurement and contracts.”

The dam construction for the Baleh hydro power project is expected to provide employment opportunity for about 3,500 workers.


Image: (From left) Executive Vice President SEB Power James Ung Sing Kwong, Sarawak Energy Group CEO Sharbini Suhaili, CGGC Malaysia representatives Xu Zhongguo and Huang Mingxing and Untang Jaya Sdn Bhd representatives Mr Micheal anak Jawa and Puan Rheineld @ Minor anak Panyau at the signing ceremony. Photo: courtesy of Sarawak Energy.