Power

Due to the weak power reserve on Saipan, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has warned of a potential shortage during the summer months when electricity consumption swells and demand increases.

“As we enter the dry season, I am concerned about power rationing. Our best customers are again going to be asked to use their own generators,” said CUC Executive Director Timothy P. Villagomez.

The shortage has been aggravated by failure of some engines in the existing power plant which need immediate repair before they can generate sufficient electricity for CUC customers.

A seven-megawatt engine is scheduled to go off-line by April for maintenance work while a 13-megawatt generator will also be overhauled in July, straining the already limited capacity of the government-owned utility firm.

Although one engine, under repair by Man B&W of Germany in the last few months is expected to come back on line next month, three others will have to be temporarily shut down for much needed repair, according to Villagomez.

“Due to the litigation over the delivery of defective parts, we are conducting repetitive inspections in engines that were supplied parts from the same company, and finding that the parts are aging and showing signs of fatigue,” he told a recent CUC board meeting.

Pamela Mathis, the utility’s chief information officer, also assured customers that they are closely monitoring the power situation to avert intermittent outages which may occur as residents use up more electricity during the dry season.

“As the temperature increases, people are going to use more power,” she explained in an interview, urging people to conserve energy to prevent rationing during peak power demand.

CUC has a current capacity of 65 megawatts, but actual demand normally jumps in the summer, forcing utility officials to ask large customers such as garment factories and hotels off the main system and generate their own power.

The utility corporation also has pending lawsuit against suppliers of its engine parts which have been found to be defective and a leading cause of constant malfunction of the generators.

Villagomez pointed out utility crews are conducting constant maintenance and are replacing parts that are “aging and showing signs of fatigue.”

He added that they have to be “honest with our customers and prepare them for a long hot summer, teach conservation and work together until a new power plant is on line.”

Last year, CUC also raised potential crippling power crisis on Saipan amid the dilemma facing the new 80-megawatt power plant on the island whose fate remains unclear up to now.