A BRAND new 8.7-megawatt generator worth $6.4 million was unloaded on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s Power Plant 1 in Lower Base.
According to Dr. Dallas Peavey Jr., deputy director for CUC’s electric power system, the new engine will replace Unit No. 5 which is already 40 years old and is one of the eight generators at Power Plant 1.
He said CUC bought the new generator using proceeds from the settlement with the provider of the old engine.
He said the new machine is so big that it has to be transported to Saipan in pieces. The minor parts started arriving in batches since last year, and the engine unit itself arrived at the Port of Saipan on Monday and was transported to the power plant Tuesday morning.
Peavey said the brand new engine is more fuel-efficient, and does not require the kind of maintenance and overhaul that they had provided to the old engine.
Moreover, the new engine is less expensive, and the maintenance cost will also be less in the long run, he added. It will provide a more economical and more efficient baseload power generation, he said.
CUC Executive Director Gary Camacho, for his part, said, “This is the beginning of what we need to do to ensure reliable power supply on Saipan.”
Camacho added the brand-new engine will bring in significant savings.
Once it is combined with renewable energy, he said CUC can further “maximize savings for our consumers.”
The main unit of a new power generator, covered with tarpaulin, is off loaded at the Port of Saipan on Monday. The engine was transported to Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Power Plant 1 in Lower Base on Tuesday.
