About Us

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is an autonomous instrumentality of the Virgin Islands Government which produces and distributes electricity and drinking water to residential and commercial customers in the territory.

WAPA was created by the Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands in 1964 through Act No. 1248. The enabling legislation has been amended to add the responsibility of installing and maintaining street lights to the utility’s mission. In later years, the responsibility for the production and distribution of drinking water was also added.

Today, WAPA produces electrical power at plants on St. Thomas and St. Croix and distributes electrical service through smart grids to customers on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, Hassel Island, and Water Island.

The Authority is under long-term agreements with Seven Seas Water Corporation to produce drinking water through modern seawater reverse osmosis facilities on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Potable water is distributed to almost 13,000 customers through water lines and standpipes.

WAPA’S Vision Statement

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority uniquely provides, reliable, affordable and diversified utility services to our community and surrounding areas through knowledgeable and committed personnel and environmentally friendly technologies.

WAPA’S Mission

WAPA will be the leading utility service provider in the Caribbean by placing our customers first, engaging and educating our employees, and protecting our pristine environment. We will utilize technology and implement infrastructure improvements to safely provide a diversified mix of energy resources and high quality water.

Executive Director

The day-to-day operations of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority are managed by Executive Director / Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight.

Governing Board Members

WAPA’s policies are established by a nine-member governing board. The board consists of both public and private sector members.

The governor appoints three members of his cabinet to the board and the other six members are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature for three-year terms.