NEWS & UPDATE

SIBU
15 NOVEMBER 2025

Excavation works by a third-party contractor damaged an underground 11 kV cable near Lorong Salim Stabau on 13 November 2025 at 10.50 am, causing power interruptions in parts of Salim Stabau area. This incident also affected the Salim Raw Water Intake Plant, disrupting pumping operations and leading to reduced water pressure in several areas across Sibu.

Syarikat SESCO Berhad (SESCO), Sarawak Energy’s operations and retail arm, responded immediately and restored supply to the water intake plant and affected areas by 12:00 pm using a temporary overhead line source.

Incidents like this highlight the serious consequences of unsafe excavation near electrical infrastructure. In addition to power supply interruptions, damage to underground cables can affect other critical services such as water supply, impacting households, schools, businesses and community facilities.

“Contractors must take greater responsibility to uphold public safety. We are always ready to assist in planning works safely, yet some continue without engaging us,” said Jabu Ngumbang, SESCO’s Regional Manager for Central Region.

“The contractor involved did not consult us to verify the location of our cable route at this section, even though they sought our guidance for other parts of their project. We strongly urge all contractors to ‘Call Before You Dig’ and engage with us before starting any excavation works to prevent incidents like this,” continued Jabu.

SESCO reminds all contractors that damaging electrical assets is a serious offence under the law and may result in financial penalties or legal action. Contractors are expected to follow established safety procedures and consult SESCO before commencing any works near electrical infrastructure.

The public can report outages or suspicious activities near electrical infrastructure by contacting Sarawak Energy’s Customer Care Centre at 1300-88-3111, emailing customercare@sarawakenergy.com, using the SEB cares mobile app and web portal, or chatting with virtual agent CARINA.

Excavation works by a contractor laying water pipes near Lorong Salim Stabau, Sibu, which damaged SESCO’s underground cable

Location of the damage on the underground cable due to the excavation works

SESCO’s technical team repairing the damaged cable

Contractors are reminded to contact SESCO before carrying out any excavation works to prevent damage to underground electrical cables and avoid supply interruptions