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TNB Dam Help to Reduce Flood

06/01/2015

The Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Project (also known as Second Kenyir Project) was said to be the cause of flood in Kelantan, according the speculations in the social media.

The accusations that set the social media abuzz with speculations were:

     
  1. Flood in Kelantan was caused by the water flowing from the project
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  3. The flood was due to a leakage at the dam
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  5. The massive water overflow to Malik Urai, Kuala Krai and Kota Bahru was due to illegal logging activities happening  at areas surrounding the project, which was a result in deforestation
  6.  
  7. The implementation of the project lacks transparency

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) wishes to deny these accusations and would like to provide explanations based on the facts below: Lakaran Rentas

     
  • The Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Project is located at Tembat Forest Reserve in Tasik Kenyir Hilir, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hulu Terengganu District. The Project comprises of the development of two dams crossing Terengganu River (which is the Puah Dam) and Tembat River (which is the Tembat Dam). Both the water from the dams flow to Kenyir Lake.
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  • The water catchment of the project is located in Terengganu; separated from Kelantan by the mountain. Therefore, the surface run-off water flows towards both Terengganu and Tembat rivers. These rivers will become lakes upon the completion of the Project.
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  • Water from the Tembat Lake - which will be used to generate Tembat Surface Station (15MW) - will be channeled via a deviation tunnel to Puah Lake. On the other end, water from Puah Lake will be channeled to Puah Underground Station (250MW). The water flow will be directed through an exit tunnel to Kenyir Lake after it is generated. The graph below further explains:

 

 

The Puah Lake reservoir began on 1 October 2014 upon the completion of its dam. The development of Tembat dam is on-going and the lake reservoir will only begin in June 2015. This Project is expected to complete by April 2016 with the capability to generate electric power up to 265MW. 

Locations of these dams were chosen with the intention to avoid the development of saddle dam. This way, the water released from Puah and Tembat dams will directly flow towards Kenyir Lake via the existing rivers. It is highly unlikely that the water released from the two dams will flow across the mountain range, into Kelantan. In fact, no water could be released from Puah Lake due to low water level recorded on 1 January 2015.

This Project was implemented upon approval from Energy Commission and the Terengganu State government. It was all done in complete transparency. In fact, the Puah Lake reservoir was officiated on 1 October 2014 by YB Dato Seri DiRaja Mahdzir bin Khalid, Deputy Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water. The ceremony was covered by mainstream media. On top of that, TNB always carries out various Corporate Responsibilities activities which benefit the public.

All of TNB’s hydroelectric projects are designed to generate power, at the same time, to reduce floods by being able to hold a large amount of water. The Puah dam is a testament to that. As of 31 December 2014, Puah dam has successfully blocked 740,000 million cubic meter of water from entering the Kenyir Lake.

The elaborated explanation provided clearly indicates that the project did not cause the flooding in Kelantan. On the contrary, the project managed to reduce the effect of flood by blocking more water entering the Kenyir Lake. 

This Press Released was Released in Kuala Lumpur on 3rd January 2015 [Reference : S.A. 2015/01/03(HQ)]