Business

Propane Project Delayed To October; WAPA Blames 'Operational Failure'

ST. THOMAS -- In February, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said that the long overdue propane conversion project -- which W.A.P.A. says will reduce by 30 percent the price of power in the territory -- would come online this month, with St. Croix coming online in the month of March. But March has since passed and July is here, but neither of the projects has yet to come online. The latest delay is not the first, either. And the project's cost has gone way over budget, moving from the original $87 million to $150 million in January, 2015. The cost has increased further since last year, leaving the territory with a massive debt load without enjoying the promised savings. W.A.P.A. Interim Executive Director Julio Rhymer acknowledged the delay at the semiautonomous entity's monthly governing board meeting, held in St. Thomas on Thursday. "The LPG project was delayed due to an operational failure during the commissioning process and an engineering design flaw that will...