The Lawas 275kV Substation, which was commissioned on 21 November 2025, integrates the Lawas network into the Sarawak Grid and serves as the main interconnection point to the Sabah Grid. Photo credit: Sarawak Energy Berhad.
Linking the two states is a major step toward realizing the Borneo Grid and the ASEAN Power Grid.
The recent completion of the Sarawak–Sabah Power Grid Interconnection project marks another milestone in grid integration on the island of Borneo. The first was the Trans Borneo Power Grid Sarawak–West Kalimantan Interconnection, which was commissioned and energized in January 2016.
The development of the Borneo Power Grid is an important component of the ASEAN Power Grid as it comprises a large portion of the regional grid’s East System. Once completed, the East System is envisioned to enable cross-border power trading between Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, particularly in the BIMP-EAGA subregion. The Sarawak–Sabah Power Grid Interconnection is one of the subregion’s priority infrastructure projects located in the West Economic Corridor, where renewable energy development is seen as a potential growth sector.
In the Malaysian part of Borneo, Sarawak started supplying electricity to Sabah on 13 December via the 275 kilovolt (kV) Lawas–Mengalong transmission line. The official ceremony marking energization was held on 24 January in Kota Kinabalu.
The Sarawak–Sabah Interconnection is part of a 326-kilometer grid expansion comprising 881 transmission towers and associated infrastructure. The commissioning of the 275 kV Bunut–Medamit–Lawas transmission lines and the Lawas Substation in November 2025 enabled the integration of Sarawak’s northern region into the state grid.
With the interconnection, Sarawak can deliver up to 50 megawatts of electricity to Sabah, with capacity to increase subject to system readiness and future planning considerations. There is also potential for two-way power flow capability.
In a statement, state utility Sarawak Energy Berhad said a more interconnected network enables both Sabah and Sarawak to manage system operations more effectively, particularly during planned maintenance or system contingencies. As Borneo’s energy infrastructure continues to expand, the interconnection serves as an important step toward a more coordinated and reliable regional grid.
“The Sarawak–Sabah Interconnection builds on Sarawak’s established track record in regional power exchange, including the ongoing link with West Kalimantan, which provides a practical building block for the development of a resilient Borneo Grid,” said Datuk Haji Sharbini Suhaili, group chief executive officer of Sarawak Energy. “As Sarawak continues to collaborate with its neighbors in Sabah, Brunei [Darussalam], and Indonesia’s Kalimantan, these interconnections are moving the Borneo Grid concept from vision to implementation, while also contributing to Malaysia’s broader aspirations under the ASEAN Power Grid initiative.”
Sarawak is being positioned as a regional supplier of clean and competitively priced electricity in Southeast Asia. It is rich in hydropower and plans to increase capacity to 4,800 megawatts from 3,500 megawatts. It is targeting 1,500 megawatts of solar capacity. The state is also being developed by the government as a regional green hydrogen hub.
Sarawak is already exporting up to 230 MW of hydropower to West Kalimantan. The Sarawak–Sabah interconnection lays the foundation for proposed interconnections with Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and Peninsular Malaysia, which are at various stages of planning and feasibility and are part of wider efforts to improve energy security and to support the transition to clean energy through the ASEAN Power Grid.