The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is providing an update on ongoing restoration efforts for Unit 15, as rotational outages remain in effect across the St. Thomas and St. John District beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m.
Unit 15 has been offline for several days undergoing necessary maintenance and repairs. During initial efforts to return the unit to service last night, crews encountered an unexpected issue when the starting oil pump became defective while the unit was being placed into its startup sequence.
Plant personnel worked throughout the evening to diagnose and address the issue. Due to the complexity of the repair and the extended hours already undertaken by crews, a decision was made to pause overnight to ensure personnel safety and avoid fatigue-related risks. Work has resumed this morning with a focus on completing the pump replacement.
Reassembly of Unit 15 was successfully completed yesterday. Maintenance personnel then initiated the restart cycle last night. The restart process is complex and can take several hours to complete, as multiple system checks and safety verifications must be conducted before the unit can be fully returned to service.
Unit 15 is expected to be brought online by early evening today, pending successful completion of all startup procedures.
WAPA extends its appreciation to the St. Croix crew for providing additional support to expedite restoration efforts. The Authority also commends all plant personnel who have worked long hours under challenging conditions over the past several days.
In the interim, a tentative rotational outage schedule remains in effect for the St. Thomas/St. John District on Thursday, March 26, to help manage system demand until full generating capacity is restored:
9:30 AM-11:30 AM
Feeder 8B
11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Feeder 7A
1:30 PM-3:30 PM
Feeder 8A
3:30 PM-5:30 PM
Feeder 6A
5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Feeder 10B
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Feeder 7B
Feeder 8B
9:30 PM-11:30 PM
Feeder 7C
In addition, there was a temporary non-related outage of the WAPA Outage Map, but as of Saturday, March 21, 2026, the outage map has been restored and real-time outages can be seen at http://outageviewer.viwapa.vi:7575/.
Customers are encouraged to stay informed of any changes to the rotational outage schedule by enrolling in WAPA Alerts, which provides updates via text, email, or voice notification: https://www.viwapa.vi/news-information/advisory-details.
The Authority recognizes the strain these outages place on residents and businesses and sincerely appreciates the community’s support and understanding during this time. Crew are working diligently to restore full power, and updates will continue to be shared as progress is made.
