WAPA's Richomond Powerplant in Christiansted, St. Croix. By. ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
The V.I. Water and Power Authority has announced that St. Croix will experience rotational power outages starting today, triggered by several generation units going offline at the Estate Richmond Power Plant due to "unforeseen circumstances."
WAPA said the outages are a necessary measure due to the reduced generation capacity which cannot meet the customer demand during peak times. Days ago, the authority said the rotating outages was due to adverse marine weather conditions and the offline units.
The rotational outages are scheduled during primarily peak hours, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will continue until further notice. WAPA has assured that critical lifeline customers, including hospitals and airports, will not be affected as certain feeders are exempt from the rotation schedule to ensure continuity of essential services.
Residents and businesses are urged to conserve energy to help maintain stability of the electrical grid and keep more feeders operational. The authority also warned that some customers might experience water service interruptions during outages due to loss of power at various pump stations.
WAPA expressed understanding of the community's frustration, stating, "The Authority understands the frustration and inconvenience that these outages will cause our customers and sincerely appreciates the patience and understanding demonstrated by the community during this time."
The scheduled rotation outage details for the St. Croix district are as follows:
- 8AM – 10AM: Outage affects Feeder 2A
- 10AM – 12PM: Outage affects Feeder 3A & 4A
- 12PM – 2PM: Outage affects Feeder 6A & 7B
- 2PM – 4PM: Outage affects Feeder 6B & 10B
- 4PM – 6PM: Outage affects Feeder 2A
- 6PM – 8PM: Outage affects Feeder 3A & 4A
- 8PM – 10PM: Outage affects Feeder 6A & 7B
- 10PM – 12AM: Outage affects Feeder 6B & 10B
