All feeders restored by Saturday night; rotating outages continue at reduced levels as the Authority works to restore immediate capacity
ST. THOMAS-ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Oct. 26, 2026) – The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (“WAPA” or “the Authority”) has returned Unit 27 to service, and all feeders in the St. Thomas–St. John district were restored by Saturday night. However, rotating outages are continuing because other generating units remain offline for repairs, limiting the electricity available to meet customer demand.
With GE Unit 27 back online, rotations are expected to be significantly reduced compared with the past several days. Over the next two weeks, interruptions are most likely during peak demand hours, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., although conditions may require outages outside those hours.
WAPA recognizes the disruption these outages bring to daily life and the business community. The Authority is working on immediate repairs while advancing a broader strategy to add backup capacity, replace aging equipment, diversify generation, and strengthen the territory’s electrical infrastructure.
Repairing existing units while preparing for the future
Two significant repair projects are underway through RG Engineering, under a contract managed by the Office of Disaster Recovery (ODR) as part of the FEMA-funded Prudent Replacement Program. Most immediately for the GE units, Unit 15 is now targeted for completion in January 2027, while Unit 23 is expected to be online later in 2027.
Returning these units to service will restore important backup generation capacity, giving operators more flexibility when other units trip offline or require maintenance. These mid-term repairs are intended to strengthen the system's ability to manage future generation losses. In the meantime, WAPA continues to address additional generation capacity to reduce the risk and impact of outages.
The Authority recognizes the employees working through challenging conditions to maintain aging equipment and restore service. Their technical expertise, persistence, and long hours have been critical throughout the recent outages. WAPA also appreciates the encouraging words and support community members have shared with the team.
The Plan for More Stable Power: Five Projects, Clear Milestones
WAPA is pursuing a multi-layered strategy to provide additional generation, backup capacity, and a stronger network for delivering electricity to customers. The five areas of work below reflect current target dates.
1. Add Standby Generation for St. John — Q1 2027
Four standby generators, providing a combined 10 megawatts of capacity, will give St. John another source of power and additional flexibility when the district’s electrical system is under strain.
2. Add Temporary Generation for Backup Power — Q3 2027
Temporary generation will provide additional capacity while permanent generation projects advance, helping the Authority manage periods when existing units are unavailable.
3. Install Permanent Generation at Each Power Plant — Q4 2028
New permanent generating equipment will help replace aging units and strengthen WAPA’s ability to meet customer demand.
4. Diversify St. Thomas/St. John Generation with Solar Farms — 2027
St. Croix continues to experience the benefits of two additional solar farms and battery energy storage systems. Solar farms planned for Fortuna and Bovoni will add renewable energy to the territory’s generation mix and diversify the resources available to serve customers.
5. Strengthen Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure — Ongoing
WAPA will continue upgrading the network, including underground projects, backup transmission and distribution lines and completion of the composite pole replacements.
The Authority is working to advance projects as expeditiously as possible while meeting the technical, procurement and federal requirements associated with disaster recovery funding. WAPA continues to coordinate with ODR, contractors and other partners to move the work forward while maintaining and repairing the equipment currently in service.
Although the full plan will take time to complete, each milestone represents another step toward reducing the system’s vulnerability, restoring additional generation capacity, and advancing scheduled improvements.
Customers can receive updates through the Authority’s text alert system and its official social media pages: Facebook, @USVIWAPA and X, @VIWAPA.
###
DOWNLOAD PDF HERE