Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Restoration Logistics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CUC details pole and transformer shortfalls, says materials, fuel and reimbursements constrain restorations
Summary
CUC engineers told the Senate committee that material shortfalls—poles, transformers and conductors—plus limited bucket trucks and constrained liquidity are slowing restorations across Saipan, Tinian and Rota; senators sought timelines and urged clearer customer billing notices.
CUC technical and finance staff briefed the Senate PUTC committee on July 14 about the status of electrical restoration after two super typhoons and the practical constraints slowing recovery.
Jonathan Camacho, an electrical engineer with CUC’s power division, reported Rota sustained the most extensive distribution damage: 117 down wooden poles, 72 damaged transformers and more than 20,000 feet of conductors. Tinian had 13 down poles and about three damaged transformers; Saipan has isolated pockets still awaiting primary conductors. Camacho said some transformer shipments (102 arrived in one shipment; 280-plus additional transformers were expected to be released imminently) will help but primary-line materials remain a bottleneck.
CUC’s crew and equipment posture: The utility has about 30 line crew on Saipan and had been augmenting line work with ground crew reassigned from other divisions; CUC reported eight bucket trucks on Saipan. Management said crew availability is not the limiting factor for many locations—materials and fuel are.
Billing and customer communication: Committee members raised many billing questions after customers reported receiving bills while still without power. CFO Betty Terlahi explained that FEMA-provided fuel for some generator operations precludes billing for fuel charges during that period; FEMA allows billing only of fixed monthly customer charges in some arrangements. She also described how delayed meter reads and a mid-month fuel-rate change caused prorating that made some June bills appear higher or confusing; CUC committed to reverse clearly incorrect charges and to publish clearer FAQs and public notices.
FEMA and procurement timeline: Terlahi said CUC has submitted damage assessments and project uploads to FEMA’s public assistance office and hopes to see drawdowns within roughly 60 days but cautioned some reimbursements could take up to 150 days. She said a presidential declaration for Typhoon Bobby had not, at the time of the hearing, been completed, which affects some eligibility and timing.
Material sourcing and inter-island aid: CUC described plans to loan poles and transformers between islands to expedite power for the most people and to request external contractors for grid restoration through an RFP process. The utility has been discussing assistance with Guam Power Authority and USDA rural electric programs and said it is negotiating payment terms with vendors to spread costs over time.
Ending: Senators asked CUC to provide detailed counts of revenue loss and a burn-rate estimate to inform any emergency authorization and to coordinate public messaging about billing and service-expectations.
