SAIPAN – The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has energized 93% of Saipan’s primary distribution lines and is providing 24-hour water service to about 90% of customers one month after Super Typhoon Sinlaku, but a shortage of conductors and power poles remains the main constraint on full restoration, CUC officials said Friday.
The remaining primary line work is concentrated in Kagman, the back road in Papago and from San Roque to As Matuis, said CUC T&D Engineer Jonathan Camacho. Three crews are working San Tanapag, San Roque and As Matuis to get water wells off backup generators and onto CUC grid power.
Including secondary laterals to individual homes, overall restoration is closer to 20%, Camacho said.
CUC received a conductor shipment Friday, allowing crews to mobilize to Guala Rai where missing wire spans had previously stalled work. A shipment of 60-plus concrete power poles is expected Tuesday from Guam Power Authority, which will unlock restoration in Kagman and the back road in Papago, Camacho said.
CUC has more than 360 concrete poles on total order, but the manufacturer requires a 25-day cure time and shipments will arrive 40 to 60 at a time every two weeks, Executive Director Kevin Watson said. FEMA recently switched shippers after barge delays, and CUC also lost barges during the storm itself.
“Right now, our biggest setback is materials, conductors very specifically,” Camacho said. “When the line crew goes out to certain areas, wire is missing. So without the supply in our inventory, we can’t address those locations in energizing.”
Some downed copper conductor has been stolen for recycling despite a ban on copper recycling in Saipan, Camacho said. The Department of Public Safety has submitted recovered cut-up copper to CUC’s warehouse, but the material is locked pending an Attorney General investigation before it can be salvaged for reuse.
Three diesel engines are now online at Power Plant 1, with DE#1 and DE#2 operational and DE#3 on standby. DE#4 is still being dried out. Generation capacity stands at 34 megawatts against a current peak demand of about 15.2 megawatts, leaving roughly 19 megawatts in reserve.
The Power Plant 3 backup generator was taken offline this week with the Isley and Obyan water wells now drawing from CUC grid power, saving roughly 1,200 gallons of diesel per day, Camacho said. The Adagym is also back on CUC power.
CUC’s contracted outside-island assistance is currently limited to Polyphase, the Guam-based contractor. GPA crews continue to assist on the Kiya 1 and Kiya 2 feeders. CUC is short on manpower, Camacho said, and line crews are working 16-hour days, seven days a week, Watson said.
On the water side, the north end of Saipan, including As Matuis, San Roque and Tanapag, remains the largest area still without 24-hour service, said Utility Coordinator Joel Hoepner. Water crews have repaired several major leaks in the area this week, and Hoepner said he is hoping the north end reaches 24-hour status within the next few days.
Kannat Tabla is also still being serviced by pumps, with CUC dialing in pressure for more consistent flow. The last large area still on intermittent service is the Papago, San Vicente and Dandan Homestead corridor, served by the Papago and San Vicente tanks. CUC plans to bring more Kagman generators online to push additional water to Papago, Hoepner said.
A team of 9 to 12 wastewater division personnel is assisting the water side by canvassing village meters to find leaks and customer-side issues, Hoepner said. The team completed As Matuis and San Roque and is now working north from Fetna.
The next major water restoration focus is bringing Marpi wells onto CUC grid power, which would allow CUC to shut down one CUC generator and two FEMA generators, followed by Kagman wells.
On Tinian, CUC and GPA crews are working to backfeed power into the island’s grid from the former Voice of America facility through Feeder 4 and the power plant transformer, potentially providing 2 megawatts of capacity, Camacho said. Tinian’s pre-typhoon peak demand was 2.7 megawatts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is on standby with temporary power and needs roughly five days to mobilize and two to three days to set up generators connected to Tinian’s grid.
Carolina Heights sustained the majority of Tinian’s overall distribution damage, while Marple Heights had the majority of the island’s 40-foot poles down, Camacho said. Tinian’s local line crew had 60 40-foot wooden poles in stock and is down to one or two remaining.
The boil water notice remains in effect on Saipan. Tinian’s boil water notice was lifted May 6.
