By: Leona Wai, Malaysia Program Coordinator, Green Empowerment
Long Tanid, a remote Lun Bawang village of 54 households in Central Northern Borneo, has made significant progress in improving its energy access and economy through community-led initiatives. Previously reliant on costly diesel generators that provided just 4–6 hours of electricity daily, the village struggled with financial and logistical challenges due to its remoteness from the nearest town, Lawas, and the national grid.
In 2019, with support from Green Empowerment, and our local partner TONIBUNG, and local volunteers, the community began constructing an 11.6kW micro-hydro power (MHP) system. Completed in 2022, this system now provides 24-hour clean, reliable, and affordable electricity to 42 households, a community hall, a church, and an internet server. It has reduced electricity costs by 50% and replaced over 1,000 liters of fuel each month. In exchange for a conservation grant from Seacology, the community committed to protecting 1,379 acres of highly biodiverse rainforest within Long Tanid’s watershed. By safeguarding this resource, they not only secure their local power supply but also contribute to global environmental conservation.
Balancing Growth and Conservation
The micro-utility has significantly improved the community’s quality of life. Quiet nights and clean air have replaced the noise and pollution of generators. The church’s electricity costs dropped significantly, easing the community’s financial burden. The internet server, previously powered by a costly generator, now runs on micro-utility, providing free 24-hour internet access to villagers.
Long Tanid’s village chief, envisions further growth through ecotourism and economic diversification. They aim to showcase their beautiful protected forests to tourists and also offering paddy harvesting services to neighbouring villages, avoiding further forest conversion. Their plans include purchasing a rice machine and investing tariff revenues in post-harvest processing to boost incomes.
Community Ownership Through Training and Collaboration
The success and sustainability of Long Tanid’s micro-hydro system lie in its strong community involvement and organization. To support the long-term management of the system, TONIBUNG helped the community elect its own Micro Hydro Energy Committee through a formal nomination and voting process. The community decided to charge RM1/kWh ($0.22), with tariff collection and management to be overseen by the committee. Tariff collection is key to the management model of the system, as these funds are used at the committee’s discretion for maintenance and to pay a system a local system operator.
Together with the TONIBUNG team, community members actively participated in every stage, from construction, completed through communal work, to training on system maintenance and financial management. TONIBUNG provided comprehensive training to community members in system,, tariff collection, administrative management and financial reporting. Workshops on watershed conservation were also conducted to highlight the link between forest protection and a sustainable water supply, leading to strategies like prohibiting land conversion within 3km of the river and tree planting within watershed areas.
Inspiring Regional Change Through Long Tanid’s Success
Already, the success of Long Tanid’s micro-utility has inspired a neighboring community to embark on their own renewable energy journey. After meeting with the Headman (similar to a mayor) of Long Tanid, nearby community of Puneng Trusan commited to a similar project and they completed their micro-utility this November! Green Empowerment and TONIBUNG believe that community-owned micro-utilities crucial sustainable solutions for rural electrification that honor indigenous culture, leadership, and environmental stewardship. Long Tanid is just the beginning. We are working with partners on a ten year vision to energize 200 villages across rural Malaysia. Learn more about the Sabah Roadmap.
Leona is an expert in community watershed management and community-based renewable energy systems. She holds a Master’s in Conservation Biology and has experience in environmental conservation, sustainable development and community engagement.