Sarawak Energy receives Utility Of The Year Award

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept  12, 2014:  Sarawak Energy Bernad (SEB), the State’s energy provider,  was announced as Utility of the Year – Malaysia in the prestigious Asian Power Awards 2014 held here yesterday.

Torstein (5th from left) with some of the SEB management team after receiving the Utility Of The Year Award- Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

The honour came in recognition of the company’s continuous efforts in enhancing and driving the development of clean and renewable energy in  Sarawak and for the massive transformation experienced by the company over the recent years.

Present to receive the award on behalf of SEB was its Chief Executive Officer Torstein Dale Sjotveit accompanied by some of the management team who were here in conjunction with the ASEAN Power Week happening from 10 to 12 September 2014.

In his speech, Torstein said: “As we aim to become a regional powerhouse in ASEAN, we acknowledge that there is a lot more work to be done, along with bigger responsibilities that come our way. 

"The award is much appreciated acknowledgement of our achievements so far and I am sure that it will drive Sarawak Energy and the people of Sarawak to greater heights.”

Since 2009, SEB has embarked on a transformation journey to become a modern and agile corporation.

The transformation, which includes brand positioning, organisational restructure, manpower expansion and development and enhancing customer service, has seen spectacular results being achieved.

Over the last four years, SEB has recorded an increase in sales by 70% and manpower by 50%, improved its reliability to the customers by 25%, reduced power theft by 50% and increased its rural electricity coverage from 65% to 80%.

As the growth catalyst of the State’s SCORE agenda, SEB is committed towards harnessing the abundant hydroelectricity resources in a sustainable manner, compliant with Sarawak and Malaysian law and guided by international best practices.

SEB’s projections indicate that by the middle of the next decade, residential, retail and commercial customers in Sarawak will require 2,000 MW while SCORE customers will consume at least 6,000 MW. The State’s GDP is expected to expand 5-fold by 2030, with approximately 1.6million jobs to be created when SCORE is fully operational.

The Asian Power Awards aims to set the benchmark of corporate excellence in the power industry. Currently in their 10th year, the awards have been recognising top achievers, best practices and innovations in Asia.Organised by the Asian Power Magazine, the award was presented by its Editor-in-Chief, Tim Charlton.

Among the categories of awards were Power Retailer of the Year (Singapore), Smart Grid Project of the Year (Singapore),Coal Power Project of the Year (India), Transmission & Distribution Project of the Year (Hong Kong), Independent Power Producer of the year and the CEO of the Year.