In the Virgin Islands, unreliable power is no longer an occasional disruption; it is a daily reality. And for far too many families and businesses, it is a burden we can no longer afford to carry.
I am compelled to speak out because our people deserve better. Across our territory, families are throwing away spoiled food, small businesses are losing revenue, and households are dealing with damaged appliances and constant uncertainty. For seniors who live alone, and for individuals with health conditions who depend on electricity for their care and safety, these outages are not just frustrating. They are dangerous.
This is not simply an infrastructure issue. It is a quality-of-life issue. It is an economic issue. And most importantly, it is a leadership issue. We cannot pretend this problem is new, nor can we say that nothing has been tried. During my time in the Legislature, I worked alongside my colleagues to strengthen oversight of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. We restructured its governing board to include individuals with technical and financial expertise. I sponsored legislation requiring a 60-day outage response plan, a comprehensive grid modernization strategy, and an independent financial and operational assessment with clear recommendations. These were deliberate steps to improve accountability, performance, and long-term reliability. But the reality is clear: the results have not matched the urgency of the problem.
When investments and approaches are not producing results, leadership must have the discipline to reevaluate them and redirect resources toward solutions that work. The people of the Virgin Islands are not asking for perfection. We are asking for honesty. We are asking for action. We are asking for results.
Leadership cannot continue studying this problem while people live with daily outages. What is needed now is decisive action guided by a clear, accountable, and measurable plan stabilization must happen immediately. Temporary generation and emergency support solutions should be deployed without delay to reduce outages and provide relief while major overhauls are performed on existing units. We need a strategic energy plan with defined timelines, one that includes short-term and long-term goals, clear milestones, funding strategies, and measurable outcomes the public can track.
The damage from hurricanes Irma and Maria continues to affect our system today. We must invest in rebuilding and strengthening critical infrastructure. That means restoring substations, reestablishing fiber connections, installing generation on St. John, and developing new submarine cable connections between St. Thomas and St. John to create a more integrated and reliable grid. Diversifying our energy mix is also essential. Expanding renewable energy, while maintaining system stability, will reduce our dependence on imported fuel and help control long-term costs.
At the same time, we must take deliberate steps to lower the cost of electricity for residents and businesses. That includes improving operational efficiency, reducing system losses, pursuing more cost-effective fuel and energy sources, and ensuring that investments made today translate into real savings for consumers. Affordable energy is not optional. It is fundamental to economic growth, business stability, and the financial well-being of our people.
Transparency must become the standard. The public deserves consistent, clear updates on system conditions, repairs, timelines, and performance. Accountability must also be enforced. Benchmarks must be established, progress must be tracked, and there must be consequences when results are not achieved.
The path forward will not be easy. It will require tough and disciplined decisions. But what we cannot do is continue onthe current course. The lack of urgency and the cost of inaction are too high, and that price is being paid every single day by the people of this Territory.
We deserve more than promises and explanations. We deserve a power system that is reliable, a strategy that is credible, and leadership that is prepared to act with urgency.
Relief must be felt, not promised.
— Donna Frett-Gregory served in the 33rd, 34th, and 35th Legislatures of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Beyond public service, she is the Chief Operating Officer of Pivot Point Strategies and Executive Director of the DFG Community Impact Foundation of the Virgin Islands.
