Pula: Power crisis is No.1 priority

Saipan’s electric power crisis is the “No. 1 priority” in the CNMI for the Office of Insular Affairs, its director, Nikolao Pula, said in a Thursday press conference on Capital Hill, after vowing to devote federal resources to help fix it.

Flanked by Gov. Benigno Fitial and Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Tony Muña, Pula said his office plans to rally support among federal agencies and Congress to find solutions to Saipan’s long-running power problems.

“The faster we get this done, the better things are for everybody,” Pula said. “The No. 1 priority for my office right now in the CNMI is to focus on the power.”

Pula spent this week on Saipan meeting with CUC, the governor’s staff and members of the Strategic Economic Development Council, in addition to visiting local leaders on Tinian.

At the press conference, Muña detailed a long-term plan to address the power crisis that the local government is developing with federal authorities, a plan the governor is urging forward during the limited window emergency power supplied by Aggreko is available.

“I want everyone to be on board with this plan,” said Fitial. “We need to find a replacement for the Aggreko generators.”

Meanwhile, Pula applauded the people of the CNMI for enduring the power outages that have plagued Saipan for so long.

“I know people have been suffering,” said Pula. “The power outages and the situation you have all endured, these are tough and real issues. I want to say that we really feel it. We’re very concerned. We care.”

Federal assistance like capital improvement plan funding, said Pula, could offer one avenue to deal with Saipan’s power needs.

“I’m going to do whatever I can through the Department of the Interior, through my leaders, publicly reaching out to other agencies, to get whatever kind of assistance there is to help the CNMI,” he said. “I’m really encouraged that everyone wants to fix the problem. Getting to how to fix the problem, I think that is a challenge.”

A plan for solving the CNMI’s power woes is taking shape, according to Muña, with CUC eying a “Guam model” for power generation in the near future that involves transferring the management of Saipan’s electrical system from the government to a private company.

“Knowing the success that they’ve had, we expect reliability, efficiency and probably—to a certain extent—affordability,” said Muña.

Now that Saipan has its emergency generators, he added, the next phase of the plan is to overhaul engines at the local power plant to stabilize Saipan’s supply of electricity. Later, the government plans to seek an independent power producer who can take control of power generation on the island. Further into the future, said Muña, the CNMI will see a blend of electricity from fossil fuels along with solar and wind energy.

“So you’ll have a portfolio of production that may be a mixture of fossil fuel generation and alternative energy that will translate into affordability much more than where we are right now,” said Muña.