8 Dec 2008

Sharp decline in sales shows plight of Northern Marianas power company

4:15 pm on 8 December 2008

The struggling power supplier in the Northern Marianas, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, has lost more than a third of its sales in the past two years.

A report prepared for the Public Utilities Commission shows the CUC is now selling as little as 263 million kilowatt hours, compared with 433 million two years ago, a decline of 39.3 percent.

According to the report, loss of industrial customers such as the garment factories have had a direct effect, which in turn has affected those employees using electricity in their homes.

It also says the rolling brownouts and island wide blackouts have affected sales, specifically business sales.