By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
BUSINESSMAN Del Benson pressed the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board Tuesday for answers on its solar procurement plans, prompting the board chair to break protocol and allow a rare response during the public comment period.
Speaking at the Feb. 10 board meeting, Benson questioned whether CUC’s request for proposals for large‑scale solar would actually reduce power rates, noting that the utility would still need to operate diesel generators for backup and nighttime load.
“I have concerns about the solar,” Benson said. “Is this expected for the rates to go down? … You’ll be buying power at whatever rate is determined, and you will still have to run the power plant with backup power.”
He said he understood the project could cost as much as $150 million and asked how much the integration of solar and battery storage would lower the fuel and fuel‑surcharge components of customer bills.
CUC board chair Allen Perez reminded Benson that the public comment period is not a venue for dialogue but made a one‑time exception.
“This one time, I’m going to break protocol,” Perez said. “I’m going to let Simon respond to your questions. But at the same time, we’re not going to engage in dialogue here. He’s going to answer, and then we’re done.”
Board member Simon Sanchez — who also serves on Guam’s Consolidated Commission on Utilities, which oversees the Guam Power Authority — said the CNMI’s strategy mirrors Guam’s shift toward long‑term solar power purchase agreements that reduce reliance on expensive fuel.
“I respect the challenge that the CNMI faces,” Sanchez said. “But I’m encouraged…they are looking at the successes in Guam. Other than 100 miles of distance, there’s really no difference.”
Sanchez said solar is currently the only renewable technology private developers are willing to finance for typhoon‑vulnerable island grids, and that bids in both Guam and the CNMI are trending toward 25‑year contracts in which private partners build, own, and operate the solar farms.
“The biggest expense is fuel,” he said. “To the degree we can reduce our reliance on fuel…and go to a source that is free — the sun — that’s a wise move.”
He added that battery technology has advanced to the point where storage can now support not only intermittency but also several hours of nighttime load, reducing generator runtime and fuel consumption.
“It is a blending,” Sanchez said. “It’s not an either/or case. The strategy being pursued by CUC is the right strategy for the CNMI.”
Sanchez said the CNMI received nine initial bidders for the solar request for proposals, with three to six expected to advance with full proposals.
CUC has issued an RFP seeking independent power producers to design, finance, construct, own, operate, and maintain utility‑scale solar photovoltaic systems with battery energy storage across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The project aims to replace aging diesel generators, reduce fuel dependence, stabilize long‑term electricity costs, and increase renewable energy penetration while maintaining grid reliability.
According to a CUC official, a 20‑megawatt solar farm with battery storage on Saipan is estimated to cost between $60 million and $90 million and could supply nearly half of the island’s current power demand.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
