Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said rotating power outages across the St. Thomas-St. John district have ended following the restoration of Unit 27 at the Randolph Harley Power Plant, according to a Government House statement issued Wednesday.
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority brought Unit 27 online Tuesday, restoring generation capacity after more than two weeks of service disruptions, the statement said.
Bryan was briefed on the restoration and ongoing generation efforts during a meeting at Government House on St. Croix with WAPA CEO Karl Knight and members of the governing board, according to the statement.
Following the briefing, the governor welcomed the return of the unit and the suspension of rotation outages, calling it relief for residents and businesses affected by the interruptions.
“We asked a lot of our people over the past two weeks, and they responded with patience and resilience,” Bryan said. “At the same time, I understand the frustration and the disruption this caused to daily life, to businesses, and to essential services. For that, I am sorry. Our people deserve better, and we remain focused on delivering a system that meets that expectation.”
Bryan also thanked WAPA personnel, including plant workers and technicians, for extended hours spent restoring service.
“After more than two weeks of rotations, this is a welcome step forward for St. Thomas and St. John,” he said. “I want to thank the plant personnel and every worker at WAPA who stayed on the job and pushed through to get Unit 27 back online. That work matters, and it made a difference for our people.”
In the statement, Bryan called on WAPA to prioritize repairs to transmission lines serving St. John and to continue efforts to return Unit 15 to service to increase capacity and provide backup generation.
He also urged continued progress in replacing aging equipment at the Randolph Harley and Richmond power plants, noting that long-term reliability depends on updated infrastructure.
Bryan pointed to the administration’s broader energy strategy, including planned solar projects at Estates Bovoni and Fortuna that are expected to add about 35 megawatts of capacity to the St. Thomas-St. John grid, the statement said.
“We are addressing this on multiple fronts,” he said. “We are restoring units, moving forward with replacement, and building new capacity that reduces strain on the system. The work at Bovoni and Fortuna is part of that plan to deliver more reliable and more affordable energy over time.”
Bryan reaffirmed his commitment to stabilizing and modernizing the territory’s energy system.
“My commitment is stronger today than it was when I said we would fix WAPA,” he said. “That was never a boast. It was a commitment to stay the course, even when the work is difficult. We are going to keep pushing until the people of the Virgin Islands have the level of service they deserve.”
