Manglona says Rota brownouts for weeks, troubling

Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) said yesterday that it’s troubling that residents of Rota have been experiencing brownouts for a couple of weeks now.

Manglona requested Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Betty G. Terlaje for immediate action on the current status of generators on Rota.

Manglona, in his letter to Terlaje, said should one generator completely shut down, government and private operations will ground to a halt and the people will be left in the dark.

He said it was brought to his attention that of the six generators, only one of the 2.5-megawatt Mitsui generators is currently operating at a capacity of 1.5 megawatts as it is nearly 40 years old.

“Unfortunately, this concern is not new. It has been a longstanding concern that has yet to be fully addressed by your office,” the senator told the acting executive director.

Manglona said without a backup generator to provide this critical service, the people are gravely concerned about the length of a complete power outage as well as a possible disruption to water services if pumps are unable to operate and distribute water to residents.

The senator also inquired from Terlaje if any communication has been made with the Department of Public Lands regarding the use of the two 1-megawatt generators situated at Rota Resort.

He said with the thought of the sole operating generator on Rota shutting down, it is his hope that CUC looks into this as additional alternative backup for the livelihood of Rota residents.

Sen. Paul A. Manglona