ST. THOMAS — Residents and businesses on St. Thomas were warned Wednesday that rotating power outages could return as the V.I. Water and Power Authority completes repairs to a critical valve at its propane terminal.
Repairs, demand and a precarious supply
WAPA Executive Director Karl Knight told local lawmakers that while the authority had planned to operate solely on diesel generation during the valve repair — keeping customers connected while the propane component was offline — the first phase of the work did not go as expected. High overnight demand forced the utility to implement rotating outages.
That demand spike, Knight said, was driven in part by hot nighttime temperatures that increased air-conditioning use and placed extra pressure on an already constrained system. He warned the district will remain in a "very tender capacity situation" until additional generation comes online.
What residents were told
During a briefing with Sen. Carla Joseph, Knight said crews still needed "another five hours engagement tonight" to complete the valve work, which had been scheduled for overnight hours to try to reduce daytime disruption for businesses. He cautioned that rotating outages could again become necessary while the work continues, but said any interruptions would be limited.
"We are suffering," Sen. Carla Joseph told the authority, describing the repeated outages and planned disruptions affecting St. Thomas as "torture."
Knight told Joseph that any rotations during the next phase of work would be "no longer than two hours for those affected." He also stressed that completing the valve repair would not by itself resolve the broader generation shortfall.
Short-term fixes and longer-term plans
WAPA said it is looking to incorporate additional generation resources to stabilise the system. The authority has identified solar from farms as part of its plans to increase available generation, but Knight made clear those additions are not yet in place and the district remains vulnerable until they are.
- Immediate issue: Repair of a critical propane terminal valve required taking propane-based generation offline.
- Result: High overnight demand forced rotating outages during the first phase of repairs.
- Outlook: More rotations possible until supplemental generation is incorporated; individual interruptions expected to be limited to two hours.
| Event | Detail |
|---|---|
| Repair window | Nighttime hours; crews required another five hours engagement |
| Recent outages | Rotating outages occurred during first phase due to high demand |
| Expected interruption length | "No longer than two hours" for affected customers |
Local consequences and concerns
For residents and local business owners, the interruptions — both planned and rotating — have practical consequences. Hot nighttime temperatures that drove up air-conditioning use are common across the territory during the summer, and the authority acknowledged that sustained demand spikes complicate repair work and operating plans. Although officials tried to limit daytime disruption, the outages that occurred overnight demonstrate how quickly a single repair can ripple through the island's constrained generation capacity.
During the exchange with the WAPA executive director, Sen. Joseph framed the repeated disruptions as more than an inconvenience, characterising the experience of some constituents as intolerable. Knight accepted the seriousness of the constraints and reiterated that the situation will remain fragile until supplemental generation is online.
For now, residents are being asked to plan for the possibility of brief rotating outages during overnight repair work and to follow any advisories from WAPA about timing and duration. The authority's move to pursue additional generation — including solar projects — signals a recognition that short-term fixes will need to be matched by longer-term investments to reduce the frequency and impact of outages on St. Thomas.
