Repair is expected to suspend major outages affecting the St. Thomas–St. John district

ST. THOMAS-ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Oct. 23, 2026) – The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (“WAPA” or “the Authority”) has sourced a critical replacement part needed to return GE Unit 27 to service, with installation anticipated Saturday, October 24. The repair is expected to provide much-needed relief from the major outages currently affecting customers across the St. Thomas–St. John district.

The part, a Variable Stator Vane (VSV) actuator for the GTM 2500 turbine, is not currently available in the territory. WAPA has sourced the component from the U.S. mainland and is also pursuing an alternate source in Puerto Rico in an effort to secure the part sooner.

Once the repair is completed and Unit 27 is successfully returned to service, WAPA expects the major outages currently affecting the district to be suspended. The Authority cautions, however, that restoring this unit will not eliminate every risk of interruption, as the district continues to operate with limited generation capacity and insufficient redundancy to absorb additional equipment failures without significant impacts to customers.

WAPA continues to manage generation challenges within significant operational and financial constraints. These limitations affect the Authority’s ability to maintain equipment, secure parts and build the reserve capacity needed to better withstand unexpected unit failures. While the Unit 27 repair is a critical step toward relief, restoring long-term stability will require continued investment in generation maintenance and system redundancy.

The Authority will provide additional updates as the part’s arrival is confirmed, installation progresses and Unit 27’s return to service is verified.

WAPA recognizes the continued disruption customers are experiencing and appreciates the community’s support as crews work to restore more stable service to the district.

Customers should sign up for text notifications through WAPA Alerts at https://member.everbridge.net/892807736728730/new to get real-time updates on restoration.

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