Facing an unprecedented surge in customer demand and dwindling fuel reserves, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) has initiated fuel conservation measures to manage power generation while awaiting the next diesel shipment. In an effort to prevent further disruptions, WAPA is calling on residents to reduce energy usage during peak periods.
“We embarked on a program of fuel conservation this week while we await our next fuel shipment,” WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight said in a call with the Source Tuesday night. “We’re trying to stretch our supply to maintain capacity going into the weekend.”
WAPA has been forced to rely on more frequent diesel shipments to power the St. Thomas generation plant, Knight added. Diesel, which is more costly than propane, remains a primary fuel source for the utility, but the surge in energy consumption has exacerbated the issue. Knight explained that customer demand has reached unusually high levels, particularly during the nighttime hours, driven, for example, by the use of air conditioning in warmer-than-usual weather.
“Traditionally, our peak loads have been during the day, but now we’re seeing higher demand into the late night,” Knight said. “As a result, our consumption of fuel has outpaced what we’ve typically seen in similar periods.”
To address the shortfall, WAPA has implemented a series of rotating power outages on St. Thomas and St. John, which are expected to continue through Friday. Outages will occur between 10 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. across various feeders, with residents encouraged to limit power usage during this time.
The long-term solution, according to Knight, lies in the continued transition from diesel to propane-powered generators. WAPA’s new Wartsila generators, which are expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, will burn fuel more efficiently and reduce costs by up to 30 percent compared to diesel, he shared.
“The new generators will provide some much-needed relief,” Knight said, noting that propane is less expensive and more efficient. “We’re working hard to bring these units online by December, which should help stabilize costs and reduce fuel consumption.”
In the short term, WAPA is focused on mitigating the impact of the fuel shortage on residents. Knight emphasized that the utility is planning ahead to better manage future periods of high demand and fuel supply disruptions. “As we move into the cooler months, we should see fewer of these types of challenges, but we’re aiming to start earlier with our planning and rotate feeders more equitably to minimize disruption.”
One key development in WAPA’s fuel conservation efforts has been the switch this week of Unit 15 from diesel to propane. “We’ve had Unit 15 running on diesel for the past few weeks due to a malfunction, but we’ve just switched it back to propane, which will help with our overall conservation strategy,” Knight said.
While WAPA works to address the immediate fuel shortage, Knight reiterated the importance of community cooperation during this period. “We’re asking our customers to conserve energy as much as possible and be as efficient as they can be,” he said.
