BINTULU (Oct 27): Over 29 households in Rumah Danggang along Jalan Bintulu-Tatau now have access to electricity thanks to the Sarawak government’s Additional Late Applicant Fund (ALAF) initiative.

The ALAF project, introduced in 2018, is administered by the Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication in collaboration with Sarawak Energy as the implementing agency.

As part of the Sarawak government’s initiative, ALAF focuses on providing electricity connection to newly constructed homes in villages and longhouses connected to the state grid.

This initiative aims to reduce the financial burden of new homeowners applying for power connection.

The opening ceremony of ALAF Phase 1 project at Rumah Danggang was officiated by Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi.

Accompanying Julaihi were Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication (Telecommunication) Datuk Liwan Lagang, senior officers from Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication and Sarawak Energy, and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for Jepak by-election Iskandar Turkee.

Rumah Danggang’s electricity connection was completed in 2020 under the ALAF project at a cost of RM116,300.

In his speech, Julaihi highlighted the benefits of the ALAF initiative, especially in improving the quality of life for rural communities and ensuring the continued development of rural areas in Sarawak.

“The ALAF programme aligns with the aspiration of the Sarawak government to ensure that rural households across the State can enjoy 24-hours of electricity supply,” said Julaihi.

“Through the commitment in this implementation, the Sarawak government, with the support of the people, can realise its target of achieving full electrification status for Sarawak by 2025.

“This is also in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 of the United Nations to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy access for all,” he added.

Julaihi said a total of RM2 million has been allocated to ALAF projects in the Jepak area of Bintulu.

For the record, he said the ALAF project implementation in Jepak involved 31 projects with 431 households.

He added a total of 21 projects with 273 households have been fully completed while nine projects involving 158 households are in various stages of implementation.

“All the households that are currently being implemented are expected to get electricity supply gradually starting in 2024,” said Julaihi.

As of the third quarter of 2023, 14,649 households in Sarawak have benefited from the ALAF initiative and now have access to electricity supply.

ALAF applications are submitted through the respective district offices and the list of applicants will be organised for implementation in multiple phases, which will then be forwarded to Sarawak Energy.

Sarawak Energy will subsequently arrange for the appointment of consultants to conduct a survey and inspection for the eligibility of the listed applicants.

Hundreds of thousands of rural households in Sarawak have been lit up under the state’s various rural electrification initiatives, including ALAF.

This has increased Sarawak’s rural electricity coverage from 56 per cent in 2009 to 97.9 per cent in 2022.

The Sarawak government remains dedicated to providing reliable electricity supply to all its citizens and ensuring that its initiatives reach more households, positively impacting the lives of people in Sarawak.