Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) assured consumers of its continued commitment in providing electricity in Sabah and Labuan, with the support and assistance of the federal government.

"SESB and TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad), with the support of the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), will continue the initiatives to improve and upgrade the quality of electricity in Sabah and Labuan" said its managing director Haji Abd Razak Salim on Friday, 5 January.

He said the federal government had since 2017 been spending about RM 4.2 billion to ensure electricity in Sabah and Labuan remained operating at a reasonable level through the provision of generation, transmission and distribution.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Development (KKLW) also implemented electricity supply infrastructure projects in the rural areas.

"In terms of operations, the federal government has also spent a total of RM1.63 billion in diesel fuel subsidies.

"The federal government has been able to cover its expenditure and costs after taking note that there is an imbalance in operating costs over the selling price of electricity in Sabah and Labuan until now.

"On average, the sales cost approved at 34.52 sen / kWh was 42% lower than actual operating costs" he added in a statement.