5,500 consumers still without water after outage shuts down Sungai Dua plant

George Town, Penang - Approximately 5,500 consumers are still without water following a power outage that disabled the Sungai Dua water treatment plant, impacting 130,790 consumers in total. The Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) reported that 96% of those affected - 125,290 consumers - had their water service restored by 4:30pm on the day of the incident.

The remaining 5,500 consumers are anticipated to have their water supply restored by midnight as technicians work to fully restore services, according to Datuk K. Pathmanathan, PBAPP's chief executive officer.

The outage began at 11:17pm yesterday, triggered by a significant power supply disruption involving Tenaga Nasional Bhd. This caused the plant in Seberang Prai Utara to halt pumping, water treatment, and chemical dosing operations. Unfortunately, the backup power generators were unable to kick in promptly enough to avert the shutdown.

PBAPP immediately launched its emergency response plan to restore water supply to the affected consumers across various districts on the mainland and Penang island. Pathmanathan explained that restoring water service after a treatment plant shutdown is a complex process, requiring the sequential restart of treatment units and pumps. Chemical dosing operations must also be resumed, trapped air must be released from pipelines, and water pressure must be gradually rebuilt before normal supply can be reestablished.

This is the fourth reported power outage to affect the Sungai Dua plant. PBAPP is presently evaluating alternative backup power options to prevent similar disruptions in the future, including battery energy storage systems and hydrogen-based power generation. Battery systems could potentially maintain critical plant operations during short power interruptions and facilitate the transition to backup power, while hydrogen-based generation is being examined for its feasibility as an alternative electricity source.

Pathmanathan expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and appealed to affected consumers to exercise patience and understanding during the restoration efforts. Consumers can monitor the latest updates on the PBAPP's Facebook page.