Sarawak Energy said the exit presentation by the Dam Safety Flying Squad revealed that Bakun Dam in Malaysia is “in good and safe condition.”
This squad is an ad-hoc team coordinated by the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry and comprising experts from various technical departments. The squad visited Bakun Dam in October 2022 for its 2021 to 2022 inspection and reported recently that the dam is in good and safe condition.
The 2,400 MW Bakun Hydroelectric Plant won the Best Dam Operator (under the Dam Safety Programme category) 2023 at the International Conference on Dam Safety Management and Engineering in March 2023. The Bakun Hydroelectric Plant is also the recipient of the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH) Safety Awards and winner of the Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award (PMHA) Challenge Trophy 2023 and Excellent Achievement Award 2023. Bakun was among the selected dams to undergo the audit conducted by the Dam Safety Flying Squad last year.
Besides the audit conducted by the Flying Squad, Sarawak Energy also appoints independent international hydropower consultants to conduct Dam Safety Review audits of all its hydro dams every five to seven years in accordance with the requirements established by MyDAMS (Malaysia Dam Safety Management) and ICOLD (the International Committee on Large Dams) Guidelines. The last Dam Safety Review for Bakun Dam was conducted in October 2022 and found the dam to be in fair and good condition.
Highlights of the latest international independent review panel and flying squad’s audit findings for 2022, as well as the proactive actions taken, are:
- Sediment formation in the reservoir – Bakun Dam is designed to withstand sedimentation up to 1,000 years.
- Instrumentation condition – comments by the auditors have been addressed.
- Dam seepage level – normal and within tolerance.
- Integrity of main structures – minor defects highlighted in the audits were not detrimental to structure stability and have been rectified.
- Minor soil erosion of downstream slopes of Bakun Dam were assessed as non-critical and have been resolved.
In addition, Sarawak Energy has two dam inspectors certified by the Malaysian National Committee on Large Dams (MYCOLD). The company’s Dam Safety Division conducts biannual internal reviews, on top of the daily, weekly and monthly routine inspections conducted by its onsite personnel. Earlier this year, Bakun Dam’s Seismicity System was refurbished, and instrumentation was also automated.
Sarawak Energy is an energy development company and a vertically integrated power utility with a vision to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity by meeting the region’s need for reliable and renewable energy — providing electricity to 3 million people in urban and rural areas. The company’s energy predominantly comes from Sarawak’s rich hydropower resources.
