Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Executive Director Antonio Muna said some of the engine’s parts are already rusted and not functional.
Sen. Paul A. Manglona, R-Rota, earlier informed Muna about the unstable power generation on the island, which resulted in a series of blackouts last month.
Manglona, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Communication, said Rota does not have reserve power generation capacity because its two generator units are operating during peak hours.
Wallon Young, who was hired by CUC to oversee its rehabilitation process, was immediately sent to Rota, Muna said.
According to Manglona, he was informed that Young had upgraded the power engines on Rota, but the Mitsumi engine still needs to be overhauled.
Muna said CUC is also working on the Caterpillar and Detroit engines.
CUC’s Mitsumi engine has a 1.5- to 1.7-megawatt capacity while its other engine is only producing 0.5-megawatt.
The demand on Rota is 1.6 to 1.8 megawatts.
“We need to work with the Caterpillar engine to meet the rotating schedule,” Muna said.
Replacing the engines is also part of the long-term solution to Rota’s unstable power supply, he added.
Last November, CUC started buying excess power from Rota Resort & Country Club to maintain the power distribution on the island while the Mitsumi engine was being repaired.
Muna said CUC only gets emergency power from Rota Resort during maintenance to minimize power outages.
