GPA supplements on-island power supply
The Guam Power Authority has commissioned Aggreko plc to supply a $25 million 20MW power package for the next 24 months, “with installation of high-efficiency, ultra-low emission generators being one of the key measures to maintain power system reliability on Guam,” GPA said in an April 16 release.
The contract mandates Aggreko to provide additional power to the community within the next 100 days. The package provided by Aggreko includes engineering services for design, installation, and commissioning, with onsite operators throughout the length of the contract.
The generators provided by Aggreko are currently being mobilized and shipped to Guam. GPA is already conducting onsite work to prepare the site for the arrival of the generators. The collaboration between GPA and Aggreko aims to ensure that temporary power is available by July 10, to alleviate increased demand during Guam's hottest months, as GPA bridges the gap to the opening of the Ukudu Power Plant by Sept. 15, 2025, GPA said.
The Glasgow, Scotland-headquartered power giant Aggreko plc was bought in 2021 by private equity firms TDR Capital LLP and I Squared Capital and is itself in expansion mode, having recently purchased a Florida-based heating, ventilation and cooling firm and a specialist equipment provider. Aggreko’s U.S. headquarters are in Lenexa, Kansas.
Retirement company acquires bank investment unit
ASC Trust LLC has acquired the investment unit of Bank of Guam.
BankGuam Holding Co. announced April 18 ASC Trust LLC acquired 100% ownership of BG Investment Services Inc., a subsidiary of Bank of Guam since 2015..
The acquisition, which was finalized on April 1, “is part of efforts to streamline and enhance investment services offered by BGIS and ASC Trust,” the bank said in a release.
BG Investment Services “provides a full suite of investment advisory services to institutions and individuals throughout Micronesia,” the bank said and has moved to the ASC office.
Road project completed in Southern Guam
The Route 5 Reconstruction and Widening project was completed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 17. The $12.9 million project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and completed by InfraTech International LLC. Route 5 covers the road between Hagat and Malesso.
The project included construction of a minimum of two 11-foot lanes with a 4-foot paved shoulder and a 2-foot graded shoulder. The pavement structure was improved with a 1-inch dense-graded friction course and 5-inch hot asphalt concrete pavement over a 12-inch aggregate base. Left turn lanes were installed at the entrances to the Sumay Pay-less Market, and a double turn lane and right turn pocket at the entrances to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas offices. Drainage culverts and stormwater facilities were constructed to treat pavement runoff.
Legislators and groups push again on Insular Cases
A total of 43 members of Congress, civil rights groups and others called on the U.S. Department of Justice “to condemn and cease its reliance on the Insular Cases, a series of racist U.S. Supreme Court decisions that broke from prior precedent to justify colonial governance in the U.S. Territories,” according to an April 18 release, CHamoru Standard Time, following a letter to the DOJ.
The letter follows a filing by the DOJ in March in which it stated that “aspects of the Insular Cases’ reasoning and rhetoric, which invoke racist stereotypes, are indefensible and repugnant.”
“We appreciate the recognition by so many in Congress, including leaders in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, that it is time to turn the page on the Insular Cases and the racist doctrine of ‘separate and unequal’ status they created,” said Neil Weare, co-director of Right to Democracy, who has been litigating to overrule the Insular Cases for more than a decade.
Between 1901 and 1922, in a series of decisions known as the Insular Cases, the U.S. Supreme Court divided U.S. territories into incorporated and unincorporated territories.
Membership meetings coming up
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The Guam Chamber of Commerce, April 24 at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, featuring Benjamin J.F. Cruz, Public Auditor, Office of Accountability - Guam
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The Saipan Chamber of Commerce, May 1 at the World Resort Saipan, featuring Commissioner Anthony I. Macaranas of the CNMI Department of Public Safety.
DoD spouses get support for remote working
U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State officials on April 17 signed a new agreement establishing standard operating procedures for DoD's support to the Department of State's Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas program.
The agreement enables eligible federal employees who accompany their Service member or DoD civilian spouses on assignments to military installations overseas to quickly be approved to work remotely, allowing more spouses to keep their federal jobs during permanent change of station moves.