Wapa

WAPA Fears Rotating Blackouts in December as Vitol Suspends Propane Supply to USVI

Vitol, the V.I. Water and Power Authority's propane supplier has suspended fuel deliveries to WAPA, the authority made known in a statement today. The suspension leaves WAPA without its main propane fuel supplier, and although the authority has confirmed to the Consortium that it is in discussions with at least two other companies to fill the gap, whether an agreement can be reached with the would-be new company before the territory's dwindling propane supply is exhausted remains uncertain. WAPA told the Consortium that its current propane supply will be completely consumed by late November or early December. That leaves the authority with the costly option of purchasing diesel, which is not sufficient for St. Croix as many of its units only work on propane. The St. Thomas-St. John District can keep the lights on with diesel, but the fuel is costly and WAPA simply does not have the funding to keep purchasing diesel. That means if the authority can't arrive at an agreement with Vitol ...