Marshalls Energy Company general manager David Paul warned Wednesday’s Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce meeting that power for the capital is in an unpredictable phase and electricity service could be interrupted if one of the two large engines in its new plant break down.
“I don’t want to panic anyone, but the assessment from our mechanical engineers is that the big engines in the new power plant could go tomorrow, next month or in six months,” Paul said. “I don’t have a crystal ball. But we’re aggressively working to get parts in and the generators overhauled.”
Majuro has a population of about 30,000 and is served by two interconnected power plants that have a total capacity of 24 megawatts.
Three of the smaller generators in the old plant are still under repair from damage sustained as a result of a fire three years ago, and while one was recently returned to service, Majuro’s electricity usage is at the point where MEC currently has almost no backup generating capacity. If one of the big six megawatt engines in the new plant is forced to shut down it will force the utility company to ration power, Paul said.
“As a responsible manager, I don’t want people to panic but this is the reality (of the power situation in Majuro).”
The new plant’s two engines, now 10 years old, “are in a state of disrepair,” he said. “They require a major overhaul.”
Majuro’s power company has been financially strapped the past three years, with little money available for major engine work, utility company officials said.
