The V.I. Water and Power Authority began restoring power to feeders on St. Croix at midday Saturday after an early morning heavy power surge caused a blackout over the entire island.
According to a bulletin from WAPA, at about 4:50 a.m., the Estate Richmond Power Plant experienced a heavy surge causing online generating units to trip offline. This resulted in an island-wide service interruption.
Plant personnel worked throughout the morning to restart the units and begin restoration to feeders.
According to a bulletin posted on WAPA’s website at 10:56 a.m., units were being restarted and service was expected to be restored "within the hour," though residents were still reporting power interruptions at 12:30 p.m.
