Wapa

St. John Backup Power Plan Faces Questions Over Design, Permits and 80,000 Gallons of Fuel

ST. JOHN — The V.I. Water and Power Authority's plan to install 10 megawatts of emergency backup generation at Coral Bay and Frank Bay faced scrutiny Thursday, as Coastal Zone Management commissioners questioned the adequacy of engineering plans, the permitting process and the safety of transporting and storing 80,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the island. The concerns emerged during a public hearing before the St. John Committee of the Coastal Zone Management Commission, where WAPA officials and project consultants presented plans for four generators intended to reduce the island's dependence on electricity supplied from the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas. The proposal calls for two 2,500-kilowatt diesel generators at each location, providing five megawatts per site. Each facility would also have two double-walled, 20,000-gallon aboveground fuel storage tanks, along with smaller fuel tanks attached to the generators. According to WAPA's project documents, the combined stor...