ST. THOMAS/ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (November 21, 2024) – At approximately 10:15 AM today, several customers in the St. Thomas-St. John District experienced an electrical service interruption due to a fault on Feeder 13, an underground transmission cable.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (“WAPA” or the “Authority”) crew, in collaboration with VI Haugland, promptly began addressing the issue. Despite challenges, including a waterlogged manhole from recent heavy rainfall, the team located the faulted section of the cable, removed the damaged portion, and performed a high-voltage termination to restore service.

“While the fault was identified quickly, this intricate repair required careful execution, including lock-out/tag-out safety measures and the removal of water from the manhole,” explained Cordell Jacobs, Interim Transmission and Distribution Director at the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.

Though repairs were initially expected to be completed by 5:00 PM, the team successfully restored service to all customers by 8:00 PM, concluding the rotational outage schedule.

We recognize the inconvenience this outage has caused and sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers as we continue working to modernize and strengthen our infrastructure. This aging cable, a critical component of the power grid, is slated for replacement. The upgrade will include additional transmission lines to enhance system redundancy and improve the reliability of power delivery to customers on the eastern portion of St. Thomas and the island of St. John.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Communication’s department is committed to reaching, informing, and connecting with the youngest members of the community to the eldest, through meaningful, transparent and effective communication.

###

DOWNLOAD PDF HERE