CUC power division manager Gary Camacho said for many years, visitors and students at NMC walked under the high tension power lines strung on the power poles scattered throughout the campus.
He said the problem was addressed on March 5 when CUC deployed three crews to perform power system improvements.
Camacho said the system upgrade was necessary to improve campus safety.
“The operation consisted of isolating or disconnecting the old primary lines from the main source, clearing the vegetation along the campus perimeter, installing three spans of primary conductors, re-energizing power back to NMC and the homes along Chalan Tun Antonio Apa, and the removal of transformers and power poles,” he said.
The crews, led by Mike Kukkun and Fred Lizama, installed three weather heads in the NMC generator room, Sablan said.
The power supply to the campus is now fed through underground cables to the building conduits, he added.
There was a three-hour power interruption that occurred in the area when the system improvement was conducted, he said.
The power on campus and the surrounding homes was restored by 8:30 a.m. as scheduled, he said.
Camacho said the work was completed at around 1 p.m.
He said CUC removed 11 transformers and seven power poles in the area.
CUC Executive Director Abe Utu Malae, said he was grateful that the operation was conducted without incident.
“Our crews face hazardous situations daily. They work with high tension power lines and are often suspended in the air. I am thankful that the operation was completed successfully and the line crews were able to apply what they learned under the Pacific Linemen Training program,” he said.
