The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation in the Northern Marianas is calling for tenders for an investigation into the viability of tapping geothermal power on Saipan.
The corporation is calling for experts keen to check the feasibility of geothermal energy development on the island.
The corporation's executive director, Abe Utu Malae, says the Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs is paying up to one point two million US dollars towards the costs of the geothermal investigation.
Saipan's proximity to the active Mariana volcanic arc, extensional faulting, and the occurrence of shallow water wells with anomalous temperatures suggests there are geothermal resources beneath Saipan that could be used to generate electricity.
