Guerrero begins work at CUC power plant

Former senator Ramon S. Guerrero has begun his work at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’ Power Plant II in Lower Base.

This was confirmed by Gov. Juan N. Babauta, who said the repair of the power plant is needed in view of the scheduled servicing of the main power plant’s engines.

“Yes,” replied the governor yesterday when asked if Guerrero, whose new consultancy contract with the government was criticized by the opposition, has already started working.

The Governor’s Office also confirmed yesterday that Guerrero’s recommended electrical engineer, Roger Kitchingham, is now working with Guerrero at the plant.

CUC executive director Lorraine A. Babauta approved on May 27 a $21,000 contract with Guerrero for three months and a $20,000 agreement with Kitchingham for two months.

Early this year, Guerrero had entered into a $50,000 engineering services agreement with the Governor’s Office for the upgrading of the electrical system of the La Fiesta complex.

The governor is currently in control of CUC following his May 19 state of disaster emergency due to unresolved power failures.

Guerrero and Kitchingham’s contracts with CUC have been ordered suspended by the Attorney General’s Office, noting that those were executed by the CUC without a written approval from the governor.

Attorney General Pamela Brown noted that the authority of CUC officials has been temporarily suspended due to the emergency declaration.

Brown then instructed CUC’s Babauta to submit Guerrero and Kitchingham’s contracts and all other kinds of procurement agreements that CUC made from May 19 onwards for compliance review.

Brown said that procurement of services and goods should be handled by governor legal counsel Steve Newman and reviewed by the AGO.

When reached yesterday, Newman said that Guerrero and Kitchingham’s contracts were “being finalized.” He said, though, that the final contracts would not necessarily reflect the original purchase orders approved by the CUC.

Under the original document, Guerrero would get 50 percent of the amount in advance and the remaining amount would be given after the three-month contract.

He would oversee the mechanical and electrical repair of Power Plant II in Lower Base and assist CUC in reviewing the privatization evaluation by Harris Group, and assist in the final interview of an independent power producer.

Guerrero, a former CUC executive director, said earlier that his job includes overseeing the mechanical and electrical repair of Power Plant II, including the cooling tower repair, “and other repairs necessary to restore the plant back to its full capacity of 15 MW.

He said he would assist CUC in the procurement of all needed parts and in preparing reports “required for the governor under the state of emergency declaration.”

Under the original agreement, Kitchingham would get a $4,000 mobilization advance pay, to be deducted from his first month’s salary.

Guerrero recommended the services of Kitchingham “to assist in the major calibration of all electrical systems in Power Plant II.”

“I urgently need his services to perform all the electrical system of Power Plant II before we put all EMDs in full capacity. Major electrical components need to be immediately addressed at Power Plant II, to include the main Power Plant I,” said Guerrero.

Power Plant II, he said, consists of six EMD units rated at 2.5 MW per unit.