Wapa

WAPA Board Ratifies $3.3 Million Diesel Purchase as Emergency 3-Cent LEAC Increase Heads to PSC

The V.I. Water and Power Authority's governing board on Thursday ratified a $3.3 million purchase of 15,000 barrels of ultra-low-sulfur diesel from Borinquen Towing and Salvage, an expenditure WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight said was necessary to maintain fuel supplies and prevent interruptions in service. The purchase comes as the utility seeks an emergency increase in the fuel charge on customers' electricity bills, citing sharply higher energy costs that it says it can no longer absorb. During Thursday's meeting, Mr. Knight told board members that the purchase had already been made to ensure the utility maintained sufficient fuel reserves for its operations. “This is an interim field purchase that we had to make earlier in the week in order to ensure that we can maintain continuity of services,” said CEO Karl Knight. “We always need to maintain an adequate inventory in the fuel tanks, and so this purchase became necessary last week.” Mr. Knight acknowledged the difficult...