Three units went offline leaving many in the dark overnight

The Guam Power Authority faced the unexpected when three units shut off Friday night.

The situation left many across the island without electricity for several hours, longer than the power authority had predicted in its outage schedule.

“The 2 baseload units and 1 non-baseload unit were offline which caused some circuits to experience outages beyond the initially planned 1-hour time frame or earlier than scheduled,” said GPA spokesperson Joyce Sayama in a news release, recognizing how many of GPA’s customers experienced power outages due to compounded challenges with power generation. “GPA acknowledges that these outages have caused inconveniences to the community.”

She said plant personnel are working around the clock to address the issue noting the following reasons for the unexpected outages:

• Piti 8 (baseload unit): Faced a cooling water leak last night, requiring emergency repair which was completed at 2:40 a.m. today.

• Cabras 2 (steam baseload unit): Experienced a boiler tube leak Thursday night and is offline for repairs which is expected to take a few days.

• Piti 7: Currently offline for preventive maintenance, with efforts underway to expedite its return to service sooner than scheduled.
Impact on Service

Sayama adds GPA officials are working to balance out ongoing mitigation efforts, while ensuring a more resilient power supply for the future.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our community during this critical transitory period,” she said.

Meantime, customers are still being encouraged to conserve power from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. by from using unnecessary air conditioning units and turning off electric water heaters immediately before and during the peak demand hours.