The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation is looking to the future to reduce costs, exploring the possibilities of a solar farm on Saipan. KUAM News spoke with the new executive director, Kevin Watson.

After a long search, Watson was hired as the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation executive director. He started the job in June after serving as CUC’s deputy Executive Director, saying, "My main priorities is actually divided in all water, wastewater and, power. We got improvements needed in every area."

Watson said CUC is looking to the future, exploring a potential solar farm on Saipan. "I am, following up on the solar power 20 megawatt design. We have funding for that and we are putting out the RFP this week to do the design. The land is already identified and acquired. So we are moving forward," he added.

Watson said the public land they will use is northwest of the Saipan airport. They’re hoping for a public-private partnership for the project which ranges in cost from $60-$100 million. It could take five years to complete.

He shared, "If we can reduce the fuel consumption then that would help reduce the cost to our customers…. If we do a public-private partnership, we don't know what that cost would be to us now because we're not in the same situation as Guam, they did theirs five years ago."