HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A provision added into the House Armed Services Committee version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would require a study of Guam’s power grid reliability and resiliency.
The provision marks the first step in efforts to obtain federal funding to harden utility infrastructure, according to Guam Del. James Moylan, who proffered the amendment.
The provision would direct the secretary of defense to submit a report to Congress by March 1, 2024, that takes into consideration increased power demand associated with the rise in the number of service members and its impact on Guam’s current energy capacity, the delegate said in a news release.
The report also would include the readiness and mission considerations for military installations, as well as an assessment of the feasibility for entering into a partnership with the Guam Power Authority to install a 180-megawatt centralized energy storage system, according to the release.
“The military has and continues to be the largest consumer for GPA, and a reliable power grid is a critical component for any installation,” Moylan stated in the release. “The recent typhoon expressed the necessity of taking steps toward hardening our utility infrastructure. This amendment addresses the first step in the process, which is to secure a report which would determine the feasibility, necessity and, of course, the costs associated with the endeavor.”
He said that would allow for the second phase: seeking the funding.
“This is one of several provisions we have inserted in the NDAA which would benefit the entire community and (my) team is preparing a companion amendment which would further this toward the feasibility of underground infrastructure,” he added.
Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, the former commander of Joint Region Marianas, said in prior media interviews that the ability of the island infrastructure to provide stable power is important to the Department of Defense and that it would be beneficial to harden that infrastructure wherever possible.
For example, Naval Base Guam saw problems with downed power poles after the typhoon. Many power poles at the base were made of wood.
Typhoon Mawar didn’t cause any major issues with the actual generation of power, but it severed lines and damaged other aspects of the grid, delaying service restoration to most of the island. More than a month after Mawar, GPA has restored power to more than 92% of customers, but it’s unclear when everyone will have electricity.
Consolidated Commission on Utilities member Simon Sanchez has said discussions about hardening utilities further will occur after restoration is complete, and those talks also should consider the role of the military, as it is a major consumer of the island’s infrastructure.
Guam Power Authority crews work to repair transmission lines in Upper Tumon on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
