Lawmakers pressed the Water and Power Authority Thursday over persistent outages and delays, questioning how billions in FEMA funds have translated into real progress toward stabilizing the Virgin Islands’s fragile power grid.
During a hearing of the Senate Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure and Planning Committee, WAPA officials outlined federally funded projects meant to modernize the grid but offered few concrete timelines or proof of improved reliability. Senators demanded clarity on how nearly $4.5 billion in obligated funds are being spent and whether residents can expect measurable results anytime soon.
Much of the hearing focused on the replacement of the Richmond Power Plant on St. Croix and upgrades to St. Thomas’s Randolph Harley Plant, projects repeatedly marred by protracted bidding and planning. Vernon Alexander, WAPA’s director of Special Projects, said the authority has not yet finalized construction contracts or cost breakdowns. “We just received the responses from the RFP on September 24 … We are compiling the evaluation committee to go over the responses … Once we have that and a contract is executed … then we’ll be able to get those details that you were requesting or you were expecting from this report.”
According to FEMA allocations, the two plant projects have been awarded more than $880 million combined for replacement and modernization efforts.
Officials offered more promising news on grid hardening, highlighting ongoing undergrounding of lines and the near-completion of hurricane-resistant composite utility poles. “Territory-wide, we’re pretty close to the 100% mark. We do expect, we’re right on target, somewhere in the 2026 time frame, we should be at that 100% mark,” said Maxwell George, WAPA’s director of Project Management.
Even as Water and Power Authority officials highlighted roughly $4.5 billion in obligated FEMA funding for recovery and resilience projects, lawmakers voiced deep frustration over the agency’s lack of transparency on how that money is being spent.
Joelle Webster, WAPA’s director of Grants Management, told senators that about $892 million has been spent so far. She explained that most of the “prudent replacement” projects, representing a little more than $2.1 billion, were only obligated within the past year, suggesting that the pace of expenditures will increase as those efforts move forward.
Several lawmakers were unconvinced. Sen. Angel Bolques Jr. criticized the testimony for lacking concrete benchmarks. “There’s no specific project deadlines. You’ve shared dollar figures, no start dates, no end dates, no concrete milestones of completion,” he said.
Bolques added that while WAPA continues to reference resilience improvements, the authority has offered “no outage reduction statistics, reliability metrics or customer impact data,” despite ongoing complaints from ratepayers.
Committee members urged WAPA to provide clearer financial reporting and measurable performance indicators before the agency’s next legislative appearance.
The committee heard that renewable energy momentum is building in the Virgin Islands, at least in certain areas. WAPA’s Petronella and Hogensborg solar farms now provide up to 22 megawatts to St. Croix’s grid, with battery storage installed to stabilize supply and ease dependence on imported fuels. “For Petronella, right now, the north and south both produce five megawatts a piece … and for Hogensborg, Hogensborg delivers up to 12 megawatts … as of Sunday gone, 60% of our peak on St. Croix was being covered by solar,” reported George.
But lawmakers quickly noted that this progress has not been matched elsewhere. Senators pressed WAPA to show how grid upgrades, renewables, and reduced outages would reach St. Thomas, St. John, and overlooked neighborhoods. Ratepayers, they argued, are looking for tangible savings and reliable service across the entire territory.
Responding to pointed questions about modernization in eastern St. Thomas, George indicated progress is uneven. “We do have plans for undergrounding in the eastern area, there is a lot of that as part of the St. Thomas East Bundle project. And then if you look in certain key areas in the eastern side of the island, you do see composite poles, not … in some of the heavily populated, but you do see them in key areas out there,” he said, acknowledging that many densely populated neighborhoods are still waiting on upgrades.
Senators pressed WAPA on delays, vague timelines, and poor communication. They demanded clear delivery dates, public metrics, and maps showing neighborhood progress. Lawmakers voiced frustration over slow electrical hookups, unpaid vendors, and eroding public trust.
“We’re getting a lot of complaints from neighborhoods,” Sen. Novelle E. Francis Jr. said. “It’s so important that we continue to move that funding along. Otherwise … whatever remains is always under the threat of being clawed back.”
The committee requested written updates and project maps ahead of a follow-up hearing on Oct. 29, when WAPA must provide data and evidence of real progress.
“As you know, we’re going to be seeing WAPA again on October 29,” Sen. Marise C. James said. “We just need to improve the quality of life for all our people … especially those who can’t afford to install solar panels.”
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