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Floor leader repeats call for a unified power plan
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Posted on Dec 07 2008
House Floor Leader Joseph James N. Camacho has repeated calls for the Commonwealth to craft a unified plan to address its power problems.
Camacho’s statement follows his recent trip with Delegate-elect Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan to Washington, D.C. During their visit, the two met with Office of Insular Affairs director Nikolao Pula and other OIA officials.
In a news release, Camacho said the U.S. government reaffirmed its willingness to help the CNMI solve its power crisis through the reprogramming of federal funds. “The only thing required from the CNMI is for the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Governor to come up with a plan. What is needed is a unified workable plan to provide affordable and reliable power to the people of the CNMI,” said Camacho.
He said the plan should address the Commonwealth’s reliance on fossil fuel, the management of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., and the state of the engines at the power plant.
In August this year, Senate President Pete P. Reyes, House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, and Rep. Diego T. Benavente, chairman of the House Standing Committee on Federal and Foreign Relations, traveled to Washington, D.C. to discuss CUC’s problems with acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Doug Domenech, Pula, and other OIA officials.
The power problem was also the main agenda item for Pula’s visit to Saipan in September. During that trip, Pula said the power crisis is on top of OIA’s priority list for the Northern Marianas. He urged the local leaders to focus on finding long-term solutions to the problem.
According to CUC executive director Antonio Muna, CUC is eying a “Guam model” for power generation in the near future that involves transferring the management of Saipan’s electrical system from the government to a private company.
Since Saipan has emergency generators, he has said , the next step is to overhaul engines at the local power plant to stabilize Saipan’s supply of electricity. Later, the government plans to seek an independent power producer who can take control of power generation on the island. Further into the future, said Muña, the CNMI will see a blend of electricity from fossil fuels along with solar and wind energy.
