The power sector in Brunei Darussalam started in 1921 with the production of electricity via the diesel operated small-scale generator for its sole customer, the Department of Wireless and Telegraph. From then on, Brunei Darussalam’s power sector evolved its power generation by means of its first diesel-engine powered station in 1935.
To date, eight (8) power stations are in operation, supplying electricity to 99.9% of the population. In line with the energy security and energy transition agenda, these power stations have undergone massive transformation throughout the past years, utilising technological innovation to increase their efficiency while maintaining safe, reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply to the population. As part of the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2022 (Brunei MYCE 2022) Energy Week’s initiative to raise awareness on the country’s current power generation technologies, site visits to two of the country’s Power Plants – Bukit Panggal Power Station and Berakas Power Station were conducted from 16th to 18th June 2022. The visits were organised by the Autoriti Elektrik Negara Brunei Darussalam (AENBD) involving over 60 students from Politeknik Brunei.
With the theme “Energy Security and Energy Transition: Today and Tomorrow”, the guided tour aimed to provide an educational awareness on the power plants’ operations, maintenance, technologies and digitalization initiatives as well as provide an overview of the existing efforts to improve energy security and energy transition from the power generation side.
During the visit at Bukit Panggal Power Station, the participating students were briefed on the history of the power station and how the technology used helped in generating electricity for the country. The Bukit Panggal Power Station is operated by the Department of Electrical Services (DES) and began supplying electricity in 2008, with its capability to generate 116MW of electricity. The establishment of the Bukit Panggal Power Station marks the start of the use of the Combined-Cycle technology by the DES, where waste heat generated from the gas turbines are reused to move the steam turbine instead of releasing it from the power generation system. The Combined-Cycle technology is currently the country’s most efficient power generating system in operation.
In the meantime at Berakas Power Station, the participating students also visited the National Control Centre. The National Control Centre started its operation in 2014, equipped with the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology which plays a central role in monitoring the transmission and distribution network systems remotely. The technology supports the nation’s energy security by ensuring continuous supply of electricity, thus maintaining efficient, quick and safe restoration. It is a testimony of the power sector’s commitment in advancing the digitalization and modernization of its infrastructure towards maintaining energy security and advancing energy transition initiatives.
The Berakas Power Station, operated by the Berakas Power Company (BPC), has been providing a reliable power supply to serve approximately 40% of the national power demand of Brunei Darussalam. In further aligning with the national agenda to ensure energy security, the plant utilizes an innovative technology called the ORegen waste-heat recovery system that enables the gas turbine to produce extra power without any additional emissions or fuel consumption, thus increasing the output and efficiency.
The transformation of the national energy landscape has changed considerably over the last decade and will continue to do so. Though the pace of change may be accelerating, the premise of that future energy vision remains the same for DES which is powered by the growing need to make the planet increasingly sustainable and decarbonized through carbon emission reduction.
Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2022 (Brunei MYCE 2022) is organized by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism through the Brunei Tourism Board in collaboration with government agencies, statutory bodies, stakeholders and private agencies. The Brunei MYCE 2022 is also fully supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The event is also supported by the partnering agencies D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd as the event operator; Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) as the official Telco partner; as well as several official media partners, namely Radio Television Brunei (RTB), the Information Department (Pelita Brunei) and Brunei Press Sdn Bhd.
