💧 Water and Power · St. Thomas, VI
WAPA said St. Thomas Wartsila generators were expected in service by first quarter of 2023
Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/news-(docs)/press-release---authority-releases-wartsila-project-update.pdf?sfvrsn=81277999_2
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on Nov. 3, 2022, that its HUD-funded Wartsila project on St. Thomas would add four propane-fired generators and 9 megawatts of battery storage.
WAPA said the new generators were intended to replace older units and projected fuel savings of about $3.5 million a month, or $42 million a year, based on commodity prices at the time. The authority said the battery system was expected to improve grid reliability.
According to WAPA, the notice to proceed for the project was issued in November 2020 with an original 23-month period ending in October 2022. WAPA said its governing board approved an extension through January 2023.
The authority said the project had been delayed in part by supply-chain and other disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic. It said the generators had been installed and that Wartsila was finishing environmental controls.
WAPA said it expected the generators to enter service by the first quarter of 2023 and had received an accelerated schedule that could have put them in service in January 2023, subject to unresolved conditions.
The authority said the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority had overseen the project from its start and worked with WAPA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on compliance and documentation requirements.