The Guam Power Authority has been awarded two federal grants totaling $1.62 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) to advance grid modernization through its Advanced Resilience Management for Outage Recovery (ARMOR) Project.
The initiative will deploy advanced microgrid controllers and AI-driven weather forecasting tools to improve grid control, reduce fuel use, and enhance reliability for customers across Guam, GPA noted.
“The ARMOR Project represents the next step in modernizing Guam’s power system,” said John Benavente, P.E., General Manager for GPA. “These new technologies will allow GPA to monitor and manage power in real time, anticipate weather impacts on generation, and restore service faster after major events—all while making our grid more secure and affordable,” stated Benavente.
The project includes installation of modular microgrid controllers at Inalåhan Middle School and Upi Elementary School, allowing GPA to isolate and restore power to critical facilities during outages.
It also features a Total Sky Imager, a weather-monitoring system that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to forecast cloud cover and provide GPA with short-term generation predictions. This information feeds into GPA’s grid controllers so operators can fine-tune generation dispatch in real time and maintain stable, efficient system performance.
“These investments are about control, coordination, and confidence in our power system,” Benavente added. “Better forecasting lets us plan ahead and make smarter decisions about when and how we generate power -- reducing the risk of unplanned outages. That helps us use resources more efficiently and keep costs manageable for our customers,” concluded Benavente.
The funding was awarded through the Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) program, which supports infrastructure and energy initiatives across U.S. territories.
These new awards build on GPA’s ongoing ARMOR Project initiatives, including previous grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and deploy a modular microgrid controller and event detector system.
Together, these projects form a comprehensive strategy to enhance grid control, situational awareness, and operational security across Guam’s power system, GPA noted.
