Overview

Resources and Consumption

Guam is an island located in the North Pacific Ocean three quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. With a land area of 209 square miles, Guam is approximately three times the size of Washington, D.C. Guam has a tropical marine climate that is warm and humid with little seasonal temperature variation, a dry season from January to June, and a rainy season from July to December. Guam has a population of about 173,000. U.S. military spending is the main contributor to Guam’s economy. Guam’s tourist industry has grown over the past 30 years to become the next largest income source.

The territory has no conventional energy resources and meets nearly all of its energy needs with petroleum products shipped in by tanker. Per capita energy consumption in Guam is relatively low (148 million Btu in 2006), which is less than the U.S. average (335 million Btu). In 2006, Guam’s energy intensity was 8,696 Btu per dollar of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2000 dollars, about the same as the U.S. average. (Energy intensity is measured as total primary energy consumption per dollar of GDP.)

Petroleum

Guam has no refineries and ships all of its petroleum products in through its only port, located in Apra. Jet fuel, residual fuel oil, and distillate fuel oil are the main petroleum products shipped in.

Natural Gas

Guam does not produce or consume natural gas.

Coal, Electricity, and Renewables

Guam does not produce or consume coal. Electricity is provided by the Guam Power Authority and three independent power producers -- Pruvient Energy Guam, Inc., Taiwan Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Service, Inc., and Marianas Electric Corporation -- which operate petroleum power plants to meet electric power demand in this U.S. territory. Guam has 550 megawatts of installed generating capacity to serve a peak electric load of 280 megawatts.

Little renewable energy is currently consumed on the island beyond a few photovoltaic units used for cell phone towers and remote weather stations, solar thermal units used for water heating, and a few small (less than 5 kilowatts) wind generators operated by commercial and residential users. In 2008, Guam enacted a renewable portfolio goal to have renewable sources provide 5 percent of net electricity sales by 2015 and 25 percent of net electricity sales by 2035. Additionally, any new base load electrical generation plant is required to obtain 10 percent of its total generation capacity from alternative energy sources. The Guam Power Authority has since released a notice of intent to acquire 80 megawatts of renewable energy generating capacity by 2013.

Guam has very large wind resources (classes 6 and 7, measuring between 17.9 miles per hour and 26.6 miles per hour at 50 meters above ground level) during the winter season (December, January, and February) in the ocean area surrounding the island. Lower strength wind resources (up to class 4, measuring up to 16.8 miles per hour) can also be found throughout the island and in the southern mountains in particular. Wind speeds designated with a class of 3 or higher are suitable for most utility-scale wind turbine applications. However, Guam has one of the highest risks of typhoon passage of any Pacific island, and a study of the costs and risks of turbines specially engineered to resist typhoon-force winds needs to be carried out before optimal sites can be identified.