HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Another week of load shedding is possible for island residents as work continues to stabilize the power grid system.
It’s been a difficult task for the Guam Power Authority, working to keep a decades-old system churning out power for the island, the utility said.
It seems each time one issue is fixed, another arises, as evident Friday. According to GPA, while Cabras 2 was expected to return to service Sunday, Cabras 1 tripped offline Friday morning “due to loss of vacuum and some feeders.”
This resulted in load shedding while GPA worked to get the unit back online that afternoon.
But even with that issue resolved, Piti 7 continues to run on limited production, the utility said. GPA said it doesn’t expect to Piti 7’s production to increase until Cabras 2 is “operating and stable,” so Piti 7 can be repaired.
Once Piti 7 is repaired, capacity should be increased from 20 megawatts to 31 megawatts, according to GPA.
“Again, our Cabras baseload units are about 48 years old. Emergency repairs are sometimes needed, and the units have to be taken offline in a moment’s notice to avoid further damage to the machines. Repair work to baseload units (is) extensive and complex. The unit must cool sufficiently to allow safe entry by generation personnel before repair work can begin,” GPA said in a press release.
The issues have stressed the system, GPA said, as the utility has relied more on the non-baseload units.
“Other non-baseload generation units like the combustion turbines have been running longer hours than normal. These units have only been on an abbreviated preventive maintenance schedule to assist with generation shortfalls. These non-baseload generation units need their required preventive maintenance hours in order for the units to run reliably,” GPA said.
The rainy weather hasn’t helped, GPA said.
“The Mangilao and Dandan solar photovoltaic facilities contribute to the total energy production during daylight hours, prior to the evening peak demand. Rainy or overcast days reduce the amount of solar energy the system produces for the power grid. Cloud cover has an impact on how much solar energy the system generates,” GPA said.
To maintain grid stability during peak hours, GPA, as a last resort, turns to load shedding which is tentatively scheduled to occur from Sunday, Oct. 1, to Sunday, Oct. 8, throughout the island.
“Customers are encouraged to conserve power from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Refraining from using unnecessary air conditioning units and turning off electric water heaters immediately before and during the peak demand hours can significantly assist in reducing energy demand and required load shedding,” the utility said in the release.
The Guam Power Authority Cabras 1 and Cabras 2 Power Plant in Piti is seen Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
