Teno intervention on power project row sought

The House Committee on Public Utilities and Communications yesterday asked Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to step into the controversial decision by the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation to collapse the multi-million dollar 80-megawatt power plant on Saipan.

Rep. Rosiky Camacho, committee chair, said the time has come for the governor to intervene in the controversy generated by the government-controlled corporation’s move to scrap the three-year-old project.

According to Mr. Camacho, the governor is in the position to require the utility corporation’s Board of Directors and administration to reveal the factors that influenced its decision on the power plant.

“The governor has to step in because whatever happens to this project, he remains answerable to the public. He has the executory power and as much as possible, we want to prevent the need for the Legislature to pass measures that would influence other government agency’s decision,” he added.

The House PUTC chair is meeting with CUC Board Chairperson Rosario Elameto on Thursday where he expects her to shed light on the issues surrounding the project, which has drawn the attention of the U.S. House Resources Committee.

He clarified however that the meeting with Ms. Elameto on Thursday is not an oversight but simply a discussion where he expects the CUC to justify its decision in collapsing the project.

Mr. Camacho said CUC should be able to answer questions relating to the capability of the existing power plant to provide electricity to the whole of Saipan, as well as whether it will be able to operate until the proposed 60-megawatt project is completed.

Officials earlier sounded the alarm over possible acute power shortage because construction of the 80-megawatt power plant has dragged on for at least three years.

Utility officials last year confirmed that the delay in the construction of a new power plant project could cause serious consequences on the island’s power supply needs, since current facilities do not have the generation capacity to handle additional, and even present loads.

CUC was rushing construction of the new power plant so that it may be completed in time to meet the island’s projected power supply needs.

The governor has said the construction of the power plant should have started during the latter part of 1998 so it will be in complete operation by the turn of the century or the CNMI faces a possible power crisis.

The 11th Legislature earlier sought the assistance of the federal justice department in the CNMI House public utilities committee’s review of proposals submitted for the 80-megawatt power plant project, following formal complaints filed by seven of the 13 companies that submitted proposals to undertake the project.