ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (March 6, 2025) – The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (“WAPA” or the “Authority”) successfully restored service to all feeders in the St. Thomas-St. John district after Unit 23 was removed for emergency repairs yesterday morning.

On Friday, during a brief outage, Unit 23 experienced significant vibration, leading to fractures in its fuel lines. Plant personnel worked through the early hours and over the weekend to address the fractures while keeping the unit online. However, one of the fractures required the immediate removal of Unit 23 from service for necessary repairs on Wednesday morning.

Crews worked diligently throughout the day to restore the fuel line and return the unit to operation as soon as possible. At approximately 8:35 PM, Unit 23 was successfully brought back online, restoring service to all affected customers.

Lemuel Lavinier, Chief Operating Officer, WAPA, assured the public that the Authority is taking proactive measures to prevent similar incidents. “We are actively addressing deferred maintenance  on our legacy units, including Unit 27 to improve system reliability. Additionally, we are prioritizing the restoration of our Wartsila units by expediting shipment of parts through private chartering rather than commercial shipping, reducing the overall restoration time.”

WAPA appreciates the patience of its customers and remains dedicated to strengthening the reliability of the electrical system. For updates, follow WAPA on social media or visit www.viwapa.vi.

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