By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Commonwealth Utilities Corporation says long-delayed power system materials are now arriving in the CNMI, a development officials say will speed up Saipan’s remaining restoration work as FEMA generators are phased out and critical facilities return to grid power.
In a June 18 briefing to the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission, CUC Executive Director Kevin Watson said new shipments — including transformers, poles and conductors — mark a significant turning point. “They are making progress. More progress will be made now that we are receiving the materials, transformers, and poles,” Watson told commissioners.
A vessel from South Korea recently offloaded new transformers and power poles for Saipan, while the Guam Power Authority is sending additional transformers and conductors. CUC has also finalized a $3.5 million emergency procurement with Benson Guam Enterprises to supply 700 poles and 438 transformers for Saipan and Tinian. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse the purchases, but Watson said CUC must front the costs despite its strained cash position.
Watson said 83.8% of Saipan’s power has been restored, with system load now at 28.5 megawatts compared to 34 megawatts pre-storm. Crews have straightened or replaced 525 poles, repaired 833 spans of primary wire, 368 spans of secondary wire, 463 services, 140 framing units and 150 transformers. He said the arrival of new materials will allow crews to move faster through remaining pockets of damage.
His briefing also noted the phase-out of FEMA generators as CUC brings critical facilities back onto grid power. At the height of the response, Watson said, CUC was operating about 45 FEMA generators powering water wells and wastewater lift stations on Saipan. Those units are now being removed as facilities are reconnected to the grid.
On Tinian, FEMA supplied a generator for the Carolina Heights water booster station, where elevation made pressure unreliable. CUC installed a new pump and pressure tank there, achieving about 48 psi at customers’ homes. FEMA has agreed to delay removing the generator until CUC confirms grid power to the booster. A similar transition is underway at the Tinian International Airport, which remains on a FEMA generator. Watson said he has coordinated with the Commonwealth Ports Authority and expects grid power to the airport within two to three days, in time for FEMA to retrieve its unit.
Watson also addressed a persistent public concern: why some homes remain dark even when nearby households have power. He said localized outages often stem from damaged or failed transformers, missing service conductors or other equipment issues specific to individual properties. Many of those copper service lines were stolen for scrap, he added. “The reason is that it could be multiple,” Watson said. “The conductor could have been missing…many of those were stolen by people wanting to sell the copper.”
Law enforcement has begun arresting suspects, but Watson noted that recovered wire cannot be reused because it becomes evidence. Commissioners urged stronger deterrence, saying theft of power infrastructure during disaster recovery is equivalent to looting and directly delays reconnection for affected households.
Outside Saipan, Watson reported that Rota is fully restored, having lost only a few poles and experiencing no generation problems. On Tinian, he said generation capacity is sufficient — including a 249 kW U.S. Army Corps of Engineers generator setup powering key facilities — but full restoration still depends on replacing damaged poles and completing line work. CUC has deployed its own crews, mobilized workers from Rota, rented an auger truck and brought in contractor Polyphase, which now has two bucket trucks and crews assisting on the island.
Watson said the combination of new materials, outside support and expanded manpower should accelerate the final stages of restoration, particularly on Saipan, where the largest share of remaining outages is concentrated.
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.
