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Engine 8 down indefinitely
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Posted on Aug 25 2008
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s Power Plant 1 was down to just two engines yesterday, with one engine out of operation indefinitely.
The loss of Engine No. 8 caused three-hour rotating outages across the island yesterday.
Engine No. 2 went down Sunday but was scheduled to be up and running by the end of yesterday, CUC executive director Antonio Muñna said in the afternoon. It should be producing two megawatts of power by the end of the week and four more soon after.
Engine No. 8 will be down indefinitely due to a water pump problem, something that is not a simple task to fix, Muña said.
“It’s really a challenge for us,” he added.
Muña said fixing engine No. 8 requires ordering more parts from the manufacturer, which could take several months.
But, Muña said, CUC is looking at alternatives.
“As soon as we find someone with the pump, it could be as quick as purchasing it,” he said.
The Aggreko generators, however, could be operational before the pump is fixed, he added.
The infrastructure for the Aggreko generators arrived this past weekend, and the actual generators should arrive Aug. 31, with two more shipments arriving Sept. 6 and Sept. 12, he said.
Muña said the generators will be turned on Sept. 13 or 14, and should be operational no later than Sept. 17.
With Engine No. 8 down, Power Plant 1 will be producing 15 megawatts, and Power Plant 4 will be producing 14 megawatts, for a total of 29 megawatts for the island.
