💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA said 1,297 composite utility poles had been installed across the Virgin Islands as of July 9, 2019
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on July 9, 2019, that it was continuing work through the 2019 hurricane season to strengthen electric grids in both districts with composite utility poles and other system upgrades.
WAPA said more than 7,060 composite poles, rated for wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, were planned for installation across the territory. The authority said 1,297 composite poles had been installed as of July 9, including 236 on St. Croix, 742 on St. John, 187 on St. Thomas and 132 on Water Island, or about 18% of the overall project.
The authority said installation of the composite poles was scheduled to continue through October 2020, with crews also transferring service lines from wooden poles as the new poles were installed.
WAPA said the composite pole work was being carried out alongside plans to underground some electrical feeders over the next three to five years. It said composite poles were being installed in areas where underground service was not planned or was not practical.
The authority also said it was replacing compromised wooden poles as an interim measure until those poles could be replaced with composite poles or underground feeder lines.
WAPA said the underground feeder work, composite pole installation and wooden pole replacements were part of hazard-mitigation projects approved and funded by FEMA under a cost-sharing arrangement with the authority.