Rotating blackouts are back

mv - Friday November 23, 2007 By Gemma Q. Casas Variety News Staff

SAIPAN residents marked Thanksgiving yesterday with the return of two-hour rotating blackouts because the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. could not produce enough electricity.
CUC said one of its major engines is down and the situation could go on indefinitely if the cash-strapped government fails to come up with enough funds to buy fuel for the power plants.
Anthony Guerrero, CUC’s executive director, said with fuel now going for close to $100 a barrel, the CNMI has to pay even more because of its remote location.
Mobil Oil sells diesel fuel to CUC at $105 per barrel, according to CUC spokeswoman Pamela Mathis.
She said the damaged 7-megawatt engine no. 2 at power plant 1 remains down.
“It hasn’t gotten any better,” she said, adding that it will take several days before the engine is back on line. “We started the load shedding (on Thursday) at 11:30 a.m. It will go on until further notice.”
The next fuel delivery for CUC is scheduled for next week.
Guerrero said although CUC will start charging residential customers higher rates through the emergency regulations implemented on Nov. 2, they won’t be able to get that revenue until next month.
“The revenue from that emergency regulation won’t be realized until the first billing cycle in December. We have another tanker before the end of the month,” he said.
“We’re concerned because between now and the tanker arrival, the revenues from the reduced rates are what’s coming in on our billing process. And as we’ve said before, it’s reduced revenue and so we will be going to the governor and asking him to cover whatever shortfall we have,” he added.
Mobil delivers fuel from Singapore to CUC every 22 days.
Mathis said CUC has notified Finance Secretary Eloy Inos about the situation.
She said the governor is not allowed to reprogram funds for CUC because it is an autonomous agency.
Guerrero said CUC is now awaiting the governor’s decision on its request for fuel subsidies.
“We basically asked for assistance from the governor. As to how the governor will provide that assistance to CUC, whether that will require that he again institute a state of emergency, that will be for the governor and his advisers to decide,” he said.
The load shedding schedule for Saipan is as follows:
• 11:00 – 1:00 Kiya Two - Second Partial of the Grid At the Mobil Gas Station in Koblerville, Afetna, San Antonio, and Chalan Piao.
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm Feeder One – Lateral Streets within Partial of the Grid The Anaks Condos, China Town, DFS (and the street behind DFS) Mariana Heights Business Complex
• 3:00 – 5:00 pm Feeder Two - Second Partial of the Grid Along Beach Road in Garapan from Kristo Rai to Chalan Laulau
• 5:00 – 7:00 pm Kiya Four North Chalan Kanoa (post office and main streets from Saipan Community School)
• 7:00 – 9:00 pm Feeder Four - Second Partial of the Grid Capitol Hill on the 1200 Block, Homestead area, Talafofo, As Teo, Papago and Kagman I, II, III. • 9:00 – 11:00 pm Feeder Seven Lower Base industrial area, north to Tanapag, Achugoa, San Roque, and As Matuis to Marpi.