The Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional Bhd, which has been handed responsibility for the fate of the stalled Bakun hydropower project in Sarawak, has indicated that it would like to see the power development revived in order to recoup government funds already sunk into the scheme.
The executive chairman of the company, Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, said that the government had yet to select a new developer but that TNB considered it a beneficial venture.
The project was halted by the Malaysian government last year. The latter also proposed taking over the project itself. In December the government said it had given TNB responsibility for determining the fate of the scheme. However current plans for the development are based on scaling down the 2400 MWe power plant by one third.
The proposed revival of Bakun is being seen by some observers as part of a move by the government to attempt to revive the economy using Keynesian-style economic measures. A number of other infrastructure projects have also been discussed. These include a new causeway linking the Malaysian mainland to Singapore.
In spite of the economic problems that have beset Malaysia, TNB is aiming for 8 per cent growth in energy sales in the next financial year.
