A long-awaited power connection between Sumatra and Malaysia is scheduled to go online by 2015, Malaysia's largest electric utility said on Friday. The link will allow the two countries to support each other's peak hours, which are during the day in Peninsular Malaysia and at night in Sumatra, according to the Business Times. Construction of the underwater cable connection is expected to start before 2012. The project will have a capacity of 600 megawatts. Major international development banks have expressed interest in funding the power link, said Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohd Noh, the head of Malaysia's Tenaga Nasional power company. "It is proven that this project is financially viable and that is why World Bank and ADB would like to be involved in financing it," he told Malaysia's Bernama news agency. He added that there was no firm price tag yet, as technical studies had not been completed yet. "The interconnection will definitely increase the reliability of power supply systems of both countries," said Che Khalib.
