Aggreko engines expected to start operation today

The completion status of installing the emergency generators continues to be a day-to-day situation, but as of yesterday afternoon, the Aggreko generators are expected to be turned on today, as originally scheduled, said Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Antonio Muña.

Earlier in the week, Aggreko crewmembers had been experiencing trouble with the installation process due to the weather, but if the weather continues to hold, everything should be ready today, Muña said.

“Based on what I saw, they were closing the gap from falling behind,” he said. “It’s pushing through.”

The wet weather had caused safety issues and hampered the crews’ efforts, Muña said. The crew is working with high voltage connections, and the wiring must be dry, he said. If it is wet, a sensor goes off alerting the crew that the connection cannot be completed.

On Wednesday, Muña said CUC crewmembers had completed everything that was necessary from the utility company’s side.

The generators are expected to be fully operational by Sept. 16 or 17 and provide an additional 15 megawatts of power to the island.

CUC’s two power plants and the privately-run Power Plant 4 have been providing the island 19 to 28 megawatts daily during the last few weeks. Approximately 41 megawatts are needed to provide 24-hour power.

Muña said there should be no rotating power outages once the generators are fully operational next week.

“We didn’t bring Aggreko in here so we could still load shed,” he said.

There have been questions raised whether the 15 megawatts supplied by the emergency generators will be enough to supply the island the necessary amount of megawatts.

As of Wednesday morning, 28.2 megawatts were being produced on the island’s three power plants. Power Plant 1 was producing 12.5 megawatts, Power Plant 2 was producing 2 megawatts and Power Plant 4, which is privately run by Pacific Marine and Industrial Corp., was producing 13.7 megawatts.

In the last few weeks, as little as 19 megawatts have been provided for the island, with 5 megawatts coming from CUC’s two plants.

Muña said Aggreko’s 15 megawatts will allow the individual engines at the plants to be rotated, allowing time for more maintenance and repair.

For example, Muña said, at Power Plant 1, CUC crews currently try to continually run the four engines to provide as much power to the island as possible. But once the emergency generators are operational, the engines will be worked on a rotating schedule, allowing for more maintenance.

After the Aggreko generators reach full capacity, Muña said he is anticipating Power Plant 4 to produce 14 megawatts, Power Plant 1 to produce 10 megawatts, and Power Plant 2 to carry six to eight.

“The key thing is to make sure all of the assets are there,” he said.