Aerial view of Bakun dam site
There is one good benefit of Bakun – tourism. The huge man-made lake being created by Bakun hydroelectric dam is an amazing place to spend couple of days away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Along it long shore, were dead brownish trees, once as tall as 5-story building now stand barely few meters above water. It simply scenic.
There are few places along the once mighty Balui river you can visit. But the closest, probably best – is Belanum waterfall. Once inaccessible to many – it is now only 30-minutes boat ride away from Bakun dam site on a long boat.
KUCHING: The vital ‘reliability run’ of Bakun Hydroelectric Dam will start today (July 6, 2011) before power can be tapped for commercialisation by Aug 6, says Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd managing director and chief executive officer Zulkiflie Osman.
He said the ‘reliability run’ which is the last phase in a series of trial runs before commercialisation must be carried out within one month.
“If everything goes well, we can expect the power from Bakun to enter the Sesco grid system by end of the ‘reliability run’ which is Aug 6,” Zulkiflie told reporters on the sidelines of Asia Infrastructure Summit 2011 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.
Contributed by: Glo R. Abaeo
The mini SUV entered the territories of Bakun, Benguet and the scenery suddenly changed. It was just a few meters from the arc denoting the municipality boundary with Sinipsip and the road dipped further down. I was enthralled by the lush vegetations and thick wooded areas throughout the ride that I forgot to look further up beyond the trees. It was after quite awhile when I did look up to see the cause of the rich dampness of the soil. The mountains were as high and wide, creating a natural barrier of mountains like a fence, surrounding the valleys within. Like a protective Madonna embracing the Child, Bakun is safe within itself, safe and comfortable as can be, being lulled to peaceful existence by the sounds of nature and the numerous waterfalls around those mountain walls.
By Ibrahim Ngah
Balui river before submerge
On October 13, 2010 the Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd in a statement mentioned that they have successfully closed the valves of water tunnels of Bakun dam after receiving the Certificate of Reservoir from Sarawak Ministry of Public Works. After more than two decades of struggle the construction of the biggest and most controversial hydro dam in Southeast Asia, was at last completed and ready to proceed to the stage of operating the hydroelectricity supply.
The Bakun hydroelectric dam is expected to start generating 300 megawatt (MW) of electricity by June 2011, when the water level reach 195 meter (minimum for the operation of hydro turbine) and have maximum capacity to generate 2,400 MW when fully in operation by 2012. About 69,500 hectare of land will gradually be submerged, transforming the area into a huge lake of about the size of Singapore. Among the locals and enviromentalists who had been opposed to the project, the game could have been over. A vast area of the forest ecosystem had been irreversibly destroyed right in front of their eyes and ten thousand of the natives population were already displaced.
