Lee favors KL power grid link

Lee favors KL power grid link

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew favors the idea of linking his island state's power grid with neighboring Malaysia's to provide a reserve buffer of power supply in times of need, a Malaysian official said on Tuesday.

Jamaludin Jarjis, Chairman of Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Malaysia's biggest power utility, floated the proposal during a meeting between Lee and several backbench members of the parliament.

"I also spoke about connecting Malaysia and Singapore through a power grid and sharing power reserves which we can supply to one another during times of need so that we can avoid expensive duplication," Jamaludin, who heads a parliamentary backbench group, told Reuters.

"He (Lee) said it was a good idea and should be taken forward."

Both Tenaga and independent YTL Power International, and a unit of YTL Corp, are in the running to bid separately, with foreign partners, for power assets being privatized by Singapore.

Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd, the holding company for the Singapore government's investments, is expected to begin auctioning off three power generating companies worth US$3-$4 billion later this year or early this year.