By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

Certain areas on island lost electricity for more than two hours yesterday because one of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s main engines was still down and waiting for parts to arrive from Singapore.
CUC spokeswoman Pamela Mathis said a base-load generator with a 13 megawatt capacity cannot be used.
“We are hoping to get the parts by Tuesday or Wednesday from Singapore,” she told Variety in a phone interview.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority on Saipan, which normally uses as much as 2 megawatts, was taken off CUC’s main grid and had to use its generator.
Some garment factories were also taken off CUC’s load yesterday.
Mathis said they tried to isolate the power outage but there was “too much public demand” for power by noon yesterday.
At 1 p.m. power was cut in Beach Road areas in Garapan and was restored only after 3 p.m.
Once the parts are installed in the troubled engine, repair work may take a day to complete while another day of testing is required.
Mathis is urging the public to conserve as much energy as they can to avoid power outages.
“Should the public demand for energy increase as the temperatures go up…isolated power outages will be necessary. If enough people conserve power, however, we can avoid our power outages,” CUC said in a statement released Wednesday of last week when the 13-megawatt engine broke down.
Should the power shortage continue today, CUC said Saipan will expect the following emergency power outages to occur in their areas: 1-3 p.m. – Feeder 2 (partial only) Garapan Beach Rd, Quarter Master Rd. to Chalan Monsignor Guerrero Intersection in San Jose; 3-5 p.m. – Feeder 7 (partial only) San Roque at La Fiesta north to As Matuis and Marpi; 5-7 p.m. — Feeder 4 (partial only) Just after the Capitol Hill homestead to Papago and Kagman I, II and III; 7-9 p.m. – Kiya 2 (partial only) As Lito to Chalan Kanoa on Tun Joaquin Doi Road, Fina Sisu, part of Chalan Piao; 9-10 p.m. – Feeder 1 (partial only) Miha in Garapan and China Town.
Saipan experienced more than 2,100 hours of power outages between 2005 and 2006 mainly due to the poor condition of the eight engines at CUC’s main power plant.