Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB): Sarawak's Power Utility

While Peninsular Malaysia relies on Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Sarawak lights its own lamps through a single utility whose grid is not connected at all to the national grid — and which is generated almost entirely by the waterfalls of giant dams in the interior.

Who owns Sarawak Energy?

Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) is an energy development company and, at the same time, a vertically integrated electricity utility that is wholly owned by the Sarawak Government. “Vertically integrated” means that a single entity generates, transmits and distributes electricity — as opposed to a model that splits these functions into separate companies.

Its wholly owned subsidiary, Syarikat SESCO Berhad (SESCO), is SEB’s retail and operations arm. According to RAM Ratings, through SESCO, SEB owns and operates all of the transmission and distribution infrastructure in Sarawak and acts as the state’s single buyer and exclusive power retailer. This is why the Sarawak grid stands on its own, separate from the Peninsula grid operated by TNB.

SEB serves about 814,000 account holders and supplies electricity to 3 million Sarawakians in urban and rural areas, supported by a workforce of more than 6,400 people. The company celebrated the 100th anniversary of Sarawak’s power sector in 2021.

Field	Details
Full name	Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB)
Ownership	Wholly owned by the Sarawak Government
Type	Vertically integrated electricity utility
Main subsidiary	Syarikat SESCO Berhad (retail, operations, single buyer)
Account holders	~814,000
Population served	~3 million Sarawakians
Available capacity	~5,898MW
Main source	Hydroelectricity

Why does hydroelectricity dominate its generation?

Sarawak has fast-flowing rivers and heavy rainfall, so hydropower forms the backbone of its system, complemented by local thermal sources. Sarawak’s total system available capacity is about 5,898MW.

Three large hydro dams — Bakun, Murum and Batang Ai — provide a large hydro capacity of 3,558MW today. The Bakun plant is the largest: an available capacity of 2,520MW with a firm power of 1,771MW, built on Batang Balui (the upper reaches of the Rejang River), about 37km upstream of the town of Belaga. Its 205m-high dam uses Concrete Face Rockfill Dam technology. Bakun was commissioned in 2011, reached full operation in 2014, and SEB took over full ownership in 2017.

Plant	Type	Capacity	Status
Bakun	Hydro	2,520MW	Operating (2011)
Murum	Hydro	944MW	Operating
Batang Ai	Hydro	94MW	Operating (1985)
Baleh	Hydro	1,285MW	Under construction (2030)
Balingian	Coal	578MW	Operating
Mukah	Coal	243MW	Operating
Sejingkat	Coal	120MW	Operating
Bintulu (combined cycle)	Gas	280MW	Operating
Miri	Gas	50MW	Operating

SEB classifies its hydroelectricity as renewable energy, and this forms the basis of its marketing. However, it should be noted that mega-dam projects such as Bakun and Murum have also been the subject of public debate — among other things over the resettlement of indigenous communities, the impact on the environment and river ecosystems, and the question of how far large-scale hydro should be counted as “renewable”. This article focuses on SEB’s role and structure as a utility; the details of those social and environmental issues require verification from separate sources.

What are SCORE and the Baleh Project?

It is this cheap, large-scale hydro capacity that forms the basis of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) — a strategy to attract energy-intensive industries such as aluminium smelting to the state.

The largest project under construction is the Baleh Hydroelectric Plant with a capacity of 1,285MW (firm power 941MW). Located on the Baleh River about 105km upstream from the Rejang River in Kapit, Baleh is expected to produce an average of 8,286GWh of energy a year and to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2030. Once completed, Sarawak’s large hydro capacity will increase to 4,843MW.

This supports the state’s target of reaching 10GW of installed capacity by 2030 and 15GW by 2035, with renewable sources contributing at least 60% of the capacity mix.

How financially strong is it?

On 27 November 2025, RAM Ratings maintained the AAA/Stable rating for SEB’s RM30 billion Sukuk Musyarakah Programme. RAM cited the full ownership by the Sarawak Government and the active oversight of state-appointed directors as indicators of a “very high likelihood” of extraordinary government support if required.

For the first half of the December 2025 financial year, SEB reported revenue of RM3.69 billion and a pre-tax profit of RM1.04 billion, with a gearing ratio of 1.05 times. Notably, Press Metal Aluminium Holdings — an energy-intensive customer under SCORE — contributed about 40% of SEB’s revenue for the first half of 2025 (1H 2025), highlighting the close link between this utility and the state’s heavy industry.

Next steps

• Read the Tenaga Nasional Berhad profile to compare the Peninsula and Sarawak utility models.
• For the engineering details of Sarawak’s largest dam, explore the official Bakun Hydroelectric Plant page.
• Note: capacity and financial figures change over time; verify with SEB’s latest annual report and media releases before using them for official decisions.