81.4 F
Cruz Bay
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsLocal governmentPower Restored to All Eligible Electric Customers in U.S.V.I.

Power Restored to All Eligible Electric Customers in U.S.V.I.

A WAPA crew works on a power line. (Photo provided by WAPA)
A WAPA crew works on a power line. (Photo provided by WAPA)

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) announced Friday that electricity had been restored to all eligible customers in the territory.

In the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria, two Category 5 storms in September, approximately 55,000 customers of WAPA were left without service.  A joint effort by WAPA, FEMA, Haugland Energy, BBC Electric, mutual aid utilities, other off-island contractors and on-island contractors led to the restoration of service to 90 percent of eligible customers within 100 days. Crews have worked since Dec. 25 to push the restoration total to 100 percent.

As of March 8, WAPA reported that 55,584 customers able to receive energy had been connected to the system, including: 25,546 on St. Croix; 3,611 on St. John; 26,290 on St. Thomas; 137 on Hassel Island and Water Island.

 “This is a milestone that everyone should be proud of,” said WAPA Executive Director Lawrence J. Kupfer. “Although I only assumed the leadership of WAPA on March 1, as a resident of St. Croix I am mindful of the dedicated effort of everyone who assisted in restoring service to our customers. It was a herculean task to get to 90 percent in 100 days and a greater task to achieve 100 percent six months after the first winds of Irma affected the territory.”

Kupfer also recognized the critical support provided by local and federal government agencies, private sector companies and organizations that played a part in WAPA’s restoration.

At the height of the restoration, more than 797 off-island electrical workers were in the territory restoring service. Today, just over 200 remain, augmenting local companies and WAPA in completing restoration and in performing other post-hurricane related work.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.