The V.I. Water and Power Authority and Vitol Virgin Islands Corporation will begin moving liquid propane gas storage tanks from the St. Croix container port to the Estate Richmond generating facility, WAPA announced Friday.
The operation will be completed in four shipments, beginning Saturday, and running through Oct. 17. All tanks will be transported free of propane gas, WAPA said.
The first two tanks stored at the container port were loaded onto a barge at the port. Early Saturday, the barge is scheduled to begin an approximately seven-hour voyage from the island’s south shore to WAPA’s Estate Richmond facility. The barge is expected to arrive in Christiansted harbor by midday and proceed down the Estate Richmond channel to the existing WAPA docking facility for unloading.
Securing and unloading the barge is expected to take approximately five hours.
On Monday, the barge will depart the Estate Richmond dock and travel back to the container port to reload for the next shipment, duplicating the process of the previous voyage.
WAPA and Vitol have discussed their plan for transporting these tanks with officials from the V.I. Port Authority, Seaborne Airlines and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure all safety and logistical concerns are satisfied for their respective operations and responsibilities.
WAPA said the proposed transport operations will not affect services provided by Seaborne Airlines or any marine and boating traffic activity in Christiansted harbor.
According to WAPA Executive Director Hugo V. Hodge, Jr., the project is still on track to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
"We are committed to our goal of lowering electricity rates for the people of the Virgin Islands,” Hodge said.
The 18 empty storage tanks have been temporarily stored at the container port site on St. Croix since their July 23 arrival. As the project progresses, the remaining 10 tanks stored at the container port will be transported and delivered to the Randolph Harley facility on St. Thomas.
All of the tanks will be installed with 100-percent redundant safety mechanisms and will be encased in earthen and concrete “mounds,” WAPA said, storing propane on-site at the power plants on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
More information and updates on the fuel switching project can be found online at www.poweringVI.vi or at WAPA’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/PoweringVI.
