The V.I. Water and Power Authority has returned Unit 27 to service following emergency repairs at the Randolph Harley Power Plant, but electricity demand in the St. Thomas-St. John District continues to exceed available generation by approximately three to five megawatts, prompting the utility to urge customers to conserve electricity over the next two weeks.
During an emergency governing board meeting Monday, WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight reported progress in restoring generation and stabilizing water supplies following days of widespread outages, while acknowledging that the utility's systems remain vulnerable to additional disruptions.
“It's a tale of two cities,” Mr. Knight said, describing the differing conditions across WAPA's operations. “We have good news. We have some bad news.”
Among the positive developments was the return of Unit 27 late Saturday afternoon, following efforts to obtain critical replacement parts from Tyler, Texas, and Missouri. Mr. Knight credited Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and board member Maurice Muia with helping secure charter transportation to expedite delivery of the components.
Crews completed the necessary repairs and returned the generator to service, providing relief after repeated blackouts across St. Thomas and St. John. However, technicians subsequently discovered a minor fuel leak that will require another brief planned outage late Monday night, Mr. Knight advised.
Even with Unit 27 operating, WAPA continues to face a generation shortfall of approximately three to five megawatts. Mr. Knight said difficulties involving generators and fuel supplies at some industrial customers have contributed to the demand pressures.
To help manage the shortage until another Wärtsilä engine can be repaired, WAPA plans to ask customers to reduce their electricity consumption over the next two weeks.
“We know in some cases that's not possible,” Mr. Knight acknowledged, while encouraging customers to “just be a little bit more mindful of your energy consumption over the next two weeks.”
He expressed hope that another Wärtsilä unit could be restored within that period, providing additional capacity to the system.
Longer-term repairs remain necessary. Unit 15, which has been unavailable for months, is still targeted for restoration in January 2027. Four standby generators intended to provide backup power on St. John are also scheduled for installation in January, subject to the necessary Coastal Zone Management approvals.
The latest update follows several days of severe electricity disruptions across the St. Thomas-St. John District, including repeated districtwide blackouts that interrupted businesses, households and government operations. WAPA reported Saturday night that all district feeders had been restored, although isolated outages remained possible.
The generation shortfall also affected the territory's water system, which depends on electricity to produce and distribute potable water.
Mr. Knight explained that operations at the Seven Seas water production facility were temporarily curtailed because of the substantial electricity required for production.
“That allows us to preserve some of our other customers while we are going through shortfalls,” he said.
However, the prolonged generation problems meant water was being consumed faster than it could be replenished, causing inventories to decline.
“We had to eventually shut down our pump stations in order to give us a chance to replenish inventories,” Mr. Knight explained.
The pump stations were restarted Sunday afternoon, and water inventories in the St. Thomas-St. John District have since stabilized.
“Outside of any unexpected leaks…we should be fine on water,” Mr. Knight said.
Nevertheless, he warned that deteriorating distribution infrastructure remains a persistent concern, particularly the 24-inch water main along the St. Thomas waterfront.
Mr. Knight said the aging line is “way past its useful life,” requiring repairs “every few weeks.”
“We are eager to get that line ultimately replaced,” he stated.
Conditions on St. Croix have improved considerably, according to the WAPA chief executive, who reported a substantial recovery in water storage levels following emergency upgrades to the district's pumping infrastructure.
At Kingshill, the water level in a five-million-gallon storage tank has climbed from approximately four feet several weeks ago to 28 feet “and building,” Mr. Knight said.
“The pressure situation is probably the best it has been in the two years I've been around,” he reported, crediting recent emergency pump station improvements for the recovery.
Mr. Knight also addressed speculation that the recent electricity disruptions were connected to fuel shortages, rejecting those claims while acknowledging that a shipment from San Juan, Puerto Rico, arrived later than expected.
“We were expecting delivery on Thursday. Delivery showed up on Saturday instead,” he explained.
He attributed the delay to possible vessel congestion and other issues at the San Juan harbor.
WAPA currently operates under a “just in time” fuel delivery system, which limits the amount of fuel held in reserve and requires shipments to arrive close to when supplies are needed.
“Sometimes it does take us to the wire,” Mr. Knight acknowledged.
Despite the shipment delay and limited reserves, he maintained that the authority has sufficient fuel available to support its immediate operations.
“We have fuel in inventory at this time and for the foreseeable near-term future,” he assured the board.
