Earth hour: TNB records 550MW drop

KUALA LUMPUR: Although the Earth Hour campaign last Saturday resulted in electricity consumption dipping by 550 megawatt but Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is not complaining.

Rather, TNB accepted that the hour-long campaign, which began at 8.30pm, was for a good cause.

The 550 megawatt is equivalent to 14 million fluorescent bulbs of 40 watt each.

"While this minor fall in demand will result in a slight shaving of our revenue, we accept that Earth Hour is for a good cause," said TNB president/chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh in a statement here Monday.

He said, during the one-hour period of the energy conservation initiative, TNB staff were extra vigilant, in the event of untoward operational snags.

"Everything went on very smoothly and we were able to respond to the slightly lower demand, without any operational glitch.

"Demand peaked almost rapidly at 9.30pm, to follow the normal Saturday evening demand pattern," added Che Khalib.

He said TNB was surprised by the support and appreciation demonstrated by many of its customers on the worldwide Earth Hour campaign. - Bernama

Published: Monday March 30, 2009 MYT 8:43:00 PM, The Star