Majuro’s chronic power crisis continues to impact life and the upcoming games
BY GIFF JOHNSON Marshall Islands Correspondent
MAJURO, Marshall Islands — The ongoing decline over the past year in power reliability in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, reached what seemed to be the peak of utility dysfunction with multiple, unexpected power outages in January — including some from 30 to more than 60 hours in duration.
But the power crisis moved into a new phase during February with daily power rationing — coupled with ongoing emergency outages — for large sectors of the capital atoll due to lack of power generating capacity at the Marshalls Energy Co.’s power plant to meet electricity needs in Majuro.
The Marshalls Energy Co. power plant was prepped for container generators on Feb. 28. Photo by Giff Johnson On Jan. 24, President Hilda C. Heine signed a declaration of a State of Emergency for the power situation in Majuro. But it’s not clear that this declaration will do anything much in the short term, other than giving the power company the ability to avoid procurement rules for purchases.
In the meantime, most businesses are living from their backup generators, with power off so frequently. But that has a downside, too, as most backup generators were intended for short-term use, and in Majuro’s current power environment, many are being run continuously day after day, which is resulting in some of these backup generators not being available when they have to be taken offline for serious maintenance servicing after constant use.
The backdrop to the problem is the government utility’s reliance on engines that are from 24 to over 40 years old. While Marshalls Energy Co. engineers remarkably keep these antiquated engines functional, the engines eat up more and more time with maintenance needs. With no backup engine capacity, when the power plant has to turn off engines for maintenance — a regular occurrence due to their age — it is forced to turn off sections of the capital atoll for lack of generating capacity.
Power rationing, along with unplanned and emergency power outages continue as an almost daily fact of life in Majuro.
Against this backdrop, Majuro is hosting the Micronesia Games in mid-June. Power officials say they will have stabilized the power situation by then by adding a slew of imported container generators adequate to supporting power for Majuro and the anticipated arrival of 1,500 athletes, coaches and officials for the June 15 to June 24 games.
Heine and her cabinet on Feb. 26 endorsed holding the games — which were delayed from the original 2022 date first by COVID-19 border closures, and later by delays in finishing sports facilities, which are now ready. Heine’s government has given directives to national government ministries and agencies to support the games in any way possible, said Anthony Muller, chairman of the Micronesian Games Organizing Committee.
Still, the rolling outages are impacting the preparation of sports teams for the upcoming games. Despite the national gym being officially blessed in mid-February following a two-year renovation, it is not fully operational because of the ongoing power crisis in Majuro.
Since shortly after it reopened, the national gym was closed to the usual Micro Games nighttime basketball and weightlifting practices, so athletes had to find alternative workout space as the date for the Micro Games approaches less than four months away. The power crisis is having the odd effect of taking away the home court advantage for Marshall Islands basketball teams, which must resort to playing on other courts for their practices.
It’s also impacting life in other ways. In late February, when an unexpected outage hit school zones, two schools cancelled classes, sending students home for the day. In early February, a power outage tripped off a nearly 24-hour communications blackout when the one local telecom had to reconfigure its entire communications system. It left the country without domestic or international communications for nearly 24 hours.
Interestingly, when the U.S. government approved more than $200,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to do a power systems analysis with recommendations in late 2022, the Marshalls Energy Co. and the national government — after agreeing to the plan — never drew down the funds or engaged the Army Corps. The aim of the Army Corps review of the power system was to develop a plan that the U.S. could fund for a new power plant, engines and distribution needs.
But that didn’t happen. The utility company continues to pursue a World Bank grant that is funding a China-based power company to install two engines and a large array of solar panels to increase the renewable energy component of power provision in the capital.
But while the U.S. is not funding power system improvements, it is funding just about all other infrastructure upgrades in Marshall Islands.
The Rural Utilities Service is providing $26 million to the National Telecommunications Authority to improve services; the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing a grant of more than $10 million to Majuro Water and Sewer Co. to fix a damaged sewage outfall pipe and the sewage system in Majuro; and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is providing $34 million to repave the Amata Kabua International Airport runway and improve other areas of the airport. mbj
