WAPA said rebuilt Virgin Islands power grid would be hardened for major storms

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on April 2, 2018, that it planned to rebuild and harden the territory’s electric system to withstand hurricanes with winds of up to 200 miles per hour, with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

According to the statement, critical transmission lines would be placed underground, a significant number of wooden poles would be replaced with composite poles, and power plants, distribution systems, metering systems and other equipment would be rebuilt and strengthened.

WAPA said more than 55,000 customers lost power after hurricanes Irma and Maria. The authority said it restored 90 percent of eligible customers by Christmas 2017 and connected the remaining customers able to receive electrical hookups by mid-March 2018.

FEMA said it could reimburse eligible reconstruction costs under its Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation programs as a result of the federal disaster declarations for Irma and Maria. Government House said FEMA Public Assistance had reimbursed WAPA $679 million for emergency response efforts and that FEMA would provide at least 75 percent of eligible permanent reconstruction costs, with the territory covering the balance.

WAPA said its plans also included installing composite poles along major feeder paths and primary transmission circuits, developing microgrids on critical feeders, and planning for undergrounding critical electric loads.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/u-s-virgin-islands-will-have-a-much-stronger-power-grid/