murum

Murum refers to the Murum River in Sarawak, Malaysia, and to the Murum Dam, a hydroelectric project built on that river. The Murum River runs through the interior of Sarawak, within the Belaga District, and is part of the Belaga and Baram river basins. The Murum Dam forms the Murum Reservoir, created to store water for electricity generation.

The Murum Dam is a concrete-faced rockfill structure that supports a hydroelectric facility operated by Sarawak Energy. The power station has four turbine-generators with a total installed capacity of about 944 megawatts, and the dam stands roughly around 160 meters tall. Construction started in the early 2010s, with electricity generation coming online in the mid-2010s.

The reservoir and related works required the resettlement of local communities, including indigenous groups such as the Penan, and altered local land use. The project is part of Sarawak’s broader strategy to expand renewable energy supply and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, though it has been discussed in debates over environmental and social impacts associated with large hydroelectric developments in Malaysia.