💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA board approved petition for electric base-rate increase
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s governing board authorized a petition on April 29, 2019, seeking Public Services Commission approval for an electric base-rate increase intended to generate about $55 million in fiscal 2020 revenue.
WAPA said the additional revenue was needed to offset revenue losses tied to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, higher costs for rented and purchased generating units used to meet demand and avoid rotating outages, and about $14 million in capital expenditures. The authority said it had received about $94 million in Community Disaster Loans in fiscal 2018 and 2019, but that funding was no longer available.
According to WAPA, a customer using 400 kilowatt-hours a month would see an average monthly increase of $38.45, while a customer using 250 kilowatt-hours or less would see an increase of $23.69.
WAPA said the proposed increase was intended as a temporary measure while it added more efficient generators, battery storage and about 15 megawatts of solar generation, which it said would later help reduce the Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause rate and base rates.
The petition still required Public Services Commission approval before it could take effect.