💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
Reconstruction of St. Thomas East End electrical substation progressed in October 2019
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on October 9, 2019, that reconstruction of the East End electrical substation on St. Thomas was advancing, with contractors having poured a concrete roof the previous week.
WAPA said the substation in Estate Nazareth was damaged in the 2017 hurricanes. The authority said the rebuilt facility was expected to be completed in early 2020 and would restore normal grid operations to eastern St. Thomas and St. John.
According to the authority, service to St. John was being routed through the Tutu substation and the Donald Francois substation in Long Bay while residential distribution feeders were being supplied by other substations.
WAPA said the project was being funded by FEMA and would replace the damaged facility with a poured-concrete structure intended to better withstand storm damage. The project also included a control and protection room for system operations.
The authority said that, once completed, the East End substation would serve St. John and the eastern end of St. Thomas, including schools, port facilities, public-safety sites and other commercial and government facilities listed in the release.