Marshall Islands declares state of emergency

On Jan. 25, President Hilda C. Heine declared a state of emergency for the Marshall Islands Energy Co., following weeks of prolonged power outages.

The declaration signed by the president said the “Cabinet acknowledges the critical challenges faced by MarshaIls Energy Company in delivering reliable power services, attributed to the aging and suboptimal conditions of existing power plants and generators, resulting in frequent and extended power interruptions …”

A photo showing Marshalls Energy Company. Courtesy MEC Facebook Page.

Due to the emergency, the declaration said the “Cabinet will allocate emergency funding to MEC for the expeditious repair, upgrade, and modernization of the existing power infrastructure on Majuro. This includes the acquisition of additional new generators, backup generators, transmission lines, protection systems and distribution networks.”

“In light of the emergency situation” the Procurement Code would be waived, the declaration said.

This is a developing story. Sign up for free news updates at www.mbjguam.com and look for more details in the Journal of Feb. 5. mbj