Kobulu micro hydro power (MHP) system is in Kg. Buayan, Penampang Sabah and was funded by Shell Malaysia through their Access to energy (A2E) programme. Kg. Buayan previously had a 10kw MHP system since 2008 but due to the increased consumer demand in the village due to population increase when many community members moved back to the village, the 10kw micro hydro system can no longer support the high energy demand. Another problem arises when the landowner where the powerhouse situated wanted their land back. It has become a dispute among the community, the management at that time unable to settle the conflict among other things thus causing the system to stop functioning in 2016.
The solution was to relocate the system to a bigger river, which is the Kobulu river. TONIBUNG has proposed this project to Shell as one of their A2E program to build a new 20kw micro hydro project. TONIBUNG previously have a collaboration with Shell in Kg Sabibingkol, Pensiangan, Sabah in 2017. The proposal was accepted and the construction of the system started in January 2019.The project completed in September 2019 and the community have started enjoying electricity from the micro hydro. The system has their own Committee to manage it with guidance from TONIBUNG
Project Results / Impact on Stakeholder
- Local community: The local community benefits from increased access to clean and reliable electricity, improving their quality of life, enabling economic activities, and enhancing educational opportunities. The project contribute to poverty reduction, job creation, and improved healthcare and educational services within the community.
- Women : Women groups within the community experience specific benefits from the project. Increased access to electricity can empower them by enabling income-generating activities ( solar dryer food processing), reducing their domestic workload especially in laundry, and creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and leadership roles.
- Environmental organisations and advocates: The project receive support from environmental organisations and advocates as it promotes the use of clean and renewable energy sources, reduces carbon emissions, and contributes to environmental conservation efforts, such as watershed protection and sustainable land management
- Project implementers and developers: The project implementers and developers benefit from knowledge-sharing, skills development, and experience gained through the planning, design, construction, and operation of the micro hydro system. They can further leverage this experience for future projects, contributing to capacity building in the renewable energy sector
