Public Utilities Commission ready to act on emergency power if legislature, Governor approve

“The bottom line is the PUC can't really proceed until there's a law authorizing the procurement of this temporary power. But we're anticipating that there may be action by the legislature and once there is, the PUC will take all deliberate steps to get that here as soon as possible, said Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Administrative Law Judge attorney Fred Horecky.

Speaker Therese Terlaje has announced an emergency session for Wednesday, March 6 to take up Senator Will Parkinson's bill which authorizes the immediate procurement of up to 40 megawatts of temporary generation capacity.

Horecky added, “We're in kind of a dangerous situation regarding the load capacity until the new Ukudu plant of 198 megawatts comes on…So I say yes, it seems to me it is critical. It is the appropriate subject of an emergency declaration, and GPA has declared that without this temporary power we run a serious risk of insufficient load capacity.”

Guam Power Authority (GPA) wants it online by May, to meet a sharp rise in demand when the summer heats up.

With only about two months to go, time is of the essence.

Horecky said the PUC has a provision giving its chairman wide latitude to respond.

Horecky said, “In the meantime, the Chairman, if that power is exercised, could authorize GPA to proceed ahead with its procurement.”

If the legislature passes the bill next week, it goes to the Governor who is expected to sign it as currently drafted.