💧 Water and Power · St. Thomas, VI
WAPA sought technical assistance from New York Power Authority amid electrical system instability
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on September 10, 2019, that it had asked the New York Power Authority for technical assistance in addressing ongoing electrical system problems, including major and district-wide service interruptions.
WAPA Executive Director Lawrence J. Kupfer said the authority had formally requested help in identifying the root causes of outages and in developing immediate and long-term solutions for instability affecting both districts, particularly at the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas.
WAPA said NYPA deployed a team of subject-matter experts to the Virgin Islands on September 10, 2019, to work with WAPA and contractor engineers on generation-related problems.
The authority said NYPA had already been working with WAPA for several months on proposals involving new power generation, renewable energy and battery storage projects. WAPA also said NYPA was advising on planned transmission and distribution resiliency projects, including gas-insulated substations, new submarine power cables, selective undergrounding of transmission lines and the installation of composite poles.