Officers of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board who were among those who went to Fiji with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres last week said they see nothing wrong with the trip they attended.<\/p>\n
CUC board chair Adelina Roberto and secretary Chris Concepcion told Saipan Tribune that the trip was a \u201clearning trip\u201d and a \u201cfact-finding mission.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe left here with the understanding that we are going to see the different alternative energy that the Fiji Electric Authority has, and\u00a0how viable and economical it is to operate,\u201d Roberto said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there is anything wrong with the trip. I think it is more of a fact-finding mission. The government invited us to join and as the officers of the board, I think it was appropriate for us to join, the chair, vice chair, secretary, and the treasurer,\u201d Concepcion said in an interview.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated Jan. 24, Torres wrote to CUC board chair Adelina Roberto to invite her and the CUC board of directors to accompany him to Suva, Fiji \u201cto meet with the Fiji Electricity Authority and discuss financing options that may be applicable for future developments of your corporation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from Roberto, Concepcion, vice chair Eric San Nicolas, treasurer Joe Torres, Gov. Torres was also accompanied by members of the Legislature on the Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 trip to the archipelago in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n
The trip was paid for by the Office of the Governor. <\/p>\n
Concepcion said they met with the chairman and chief executive officer of the Fiji Electric Authority and was able to tour their power plant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very impressed with the conditions and the way they handle their power plants over there,\u201d Concepcion said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Authority operates heavy oil diesel power plant, water turbine, and windmill power. Solar is under independent power producer. Yes it is a learning trip, and gave us the opportunity for first-hand experience,\u201d Roberto said.<\/p>\n
He added that they discussed issues and challenges encountered by the utilities company including board issues and rates. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very, very informative meeting,\u201d Concepcion said.<\/p>\n
However, CUC board director David Sablan\u2014who was not on the trip\u2014earlier expressed his concern that board members who were on the trip constituted a quorum and may have violated the Open Government Act\u2014a concern not shared by Roberto.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe four board members were all invited to join the governor on the trip to Fiji, and\u00a0we do not believe that we are in violation of the law. We are all aware of the law\u00a0that no decisions can be made outside the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands,\u201d Roberto said.<\/p>\n
Sablan stated that it should be \u201cinherent\u201d to the chair to decline and say that they can\u2019t go as a quorum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe that it is necessary for the entire board to go there,\u201d Sablan said, \u201cIt should just be the chair and CUC should pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sablan said the trip was not discussed during their meetings and did not recall seeing the Jan. 24 invitation from the governor. The board had a public meeting last Jan. 21 but reconvened on Jan. 25.<\/p>\n
Roberto did not answer when asked by Saipan Tribune if the board discussed the invitation in one of their meetings.<\/p>\n
While Concepcion did not also recall discussing the trip during the board meetings he attended, he said that it didn\u2019t matter how many board members there were on the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how many we were there because no decisions were made,\u201d Concepcion said. <\/p>\n
He said there was \u201cno planning\u201d on any kind of decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo deliberations were made, no decisions were made, while we were on this trip,\u201d Concepcion said.<\/p>\n
Sablan also raised concerned on how the Fiji trip will affect the possibility of CUC putting out request for proposals for their IRP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever future\u00a0decision we make for CUC it will not be affected,\u201d Roberto said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt won\u2019t affect anything that has to do with the IRP. The IRP still stands as it is,\u201d Concepcion said, \u201cWe haven\u2019t received the final draft of the IRP.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saipan Tribune reported earlier last month that according to acting executive director Gary Camacho, Leidos Engineering LLC submitted to the board a package and that results from their models are already being reviewed by CUC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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