The executive director of the Northern Marianas Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, Abe Malae, has resigned and the territory's governor, Benigno Fitial says a change in leadership is necessary.
The CUC is under a state of emergency because of ongoing financial issues.
One of the reasons the governor cited for accepting Mr Malae's resignation is that he has not seen evidence of aggressive efforts to seek out viable alternative sources of cheap energy.
Mr Malae, a former senator in American Samoa, says the governor is correct about the slowness of the renewable energy development.
But he says the 40 percent renewable energy penetration mandated by law to be achieved this year is unrealistic.
In August last year, Mr Malae said he would be leaving the CUC by the end of March this year because he would be running for governor of American Samoa in this November's elections.
But 2 months later, he changed his mind and stayed on at the CUC.
