Civil suit filed against ASPA

A lawsuit has been filed against the American Samoa Power Authority and its Chief Executive Officer, Wallon Fong, over allegations of mismanagement of a large wind farm project that would have brought significant power cost savings to the people of American Samoa.

The case alleges that ASPA contracted with Green Globe Solutions American Samoa, Inc., an American Samoa company founded by wind energy executive Christian Thunken, to collect wind data and build a wind farm for the territory.

Green Globe collected the needed data for over three years, but ASPA withheld vital information that could have made the project successful.

Ultimately the project was given to a Japanese company, and ASPA decided to move the project to a new, environmentally fragile location without the necessary wind data. Since then, all progress has stalled.

Green Globe eventually assigned its rights to American Samoa Renewable Energy and Mobility, LLC (ASREM), another renewable energy company founded by Mr. Thunken, who filed the suit.

The lawsuit also alleges that ASPA took GGSASI’s intellectual property, including its project designs and wind data, and gave it to the Japanese company, which used it to create their designs.

Thunken said they had repeatedly raised these issues with ASPA and lawmakers but were ignored entirely. KVKZ has contacted ASPA CEO for comments, but there has been no response as of press time.