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<\/p>\nAugust 29, 2025<\/p>\n
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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (August 29, 2025) \u2013 The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (\u201cWAPA\u201d or \u201cthe Authority\u201d) Governing Board met yesterday and approved several measures that strengthen the Territory\u2019s water and power systems, advance undergrounding strategies, and reinforce environmental compliance efforts.<\/p>\n
The Board approved an amendment to its agreement with Arcadis, a third-party air quality engineering consultant, to continue providing assistance at the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas. \u201cWe are moving in the right direction and addressing the federal concerns with transparency and diligence,\u201d said Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Karl Knight of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. \u201cOur teams and partners are making steady progress, and each step forward brings us closer to ending the decree and focusing fully on the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board members also unanimously approved new projects and contract amendments designed to harden and modernize the electrical grid. Among them was the award of a contract to Haugland VI for the construction of underground electrical infrastructure along Queen Street in Christiansted. This project will tie into existing underground systems in downtown Christiansted, reduce reliance on overhead lines, and enhance the aesthetics in the area. CEO Knight underscored the importance of this work, noting, \u201cThe Authority continues its strategy of burying electrical lines underground, allowing businesses and residents to count on dependable service and improving the aesthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additional approvals included expanding the Secondary Grid Hardening Plan with new composite pole installations. These poles offer a safer and more durable alternative in neighborhoods where full undergrounding is not feasible, reducing the need for costly trenching while still improving resilience against severe weather for customers in residential areas.<\/p>\n
The Board also authorized a contract with Stanley Consultants to manage the rehabilitation of the Territory\u2019s aging potable water systems. Much of the existing water distribution network is more than 40 years old and prone to leaks and service interruptions. With the support of federal funding, WAPA is moving forward on upgrades to ensure safe water, stronger reliability, and lower maintenance costs for the Authority.<\/p>\n
In addition, the Board approved extensions of existing credit facilities with both First Bank and Banco Popular, ensuring continued liquidity as the Authority works to strengthen operations, pursue efficiencies, and increase revenue collection.<\/p>\n
In his executive report, CEO Knight commended WAPA\u2019s employees and contractors for their efforts in recent storm recovery and highlighted the importance of continued collaboration with regulators, federal partners, and the Virgin Islands community. \u201cThe challenges are real, but so is the progress,\u201d Knight said. \u201cEvery project we advance, from undergrounding in strategic areas to replacing aging water lines, brings us closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n
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August 29, 2025 WAPA Highlights Progress at Board Meeting U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (August 29, 2025) \u2013 The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (\u201cWAPA\u201d or \u201cthe Authority\u201d) Governing Board met yesterday and approved several measures that strengthen the Territory\u2019s water and power systems, advance undergrounding strategies, and reinforce environmental compliance efforts. The Board approved an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"project_id":"","notification":"","due_date":"","status":"","show_rebuild":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-press-releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20375,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11748\/revisions\/20375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usviodr.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}