Lawmakers on Tuesday weighed whether to bypass the Coastal Zone Management permitting process for two major solar farms planned on St. Thomas, a decision that set the urgency of meeting federal deadlines against the need for public oversight.
Supporters said an exemption is the only way the projects can move quickly enough to qualify for federal tax credits and finally bring stability to an electrical grid long plagued by outages. Critics warned that bypassing the CZM review would weaken public scrutiny and could expose nearby communities to environmental or safety risks.
After debate, the Legislature approved both waiver bills in an 11‑4 vote, sending the measures to Governor Albert Bryan Jr. for consideration.
The proposals, backed by the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority and developer ViElectron, would bypass the Coastal Zone Management review for two projects that together include more than 100,000 solar panels split between Estate Fortuna and Estate Bovoni.
At Fortuna, the plan includes 44 megawatts of solar generation and 50 megawatt hours of battery storage. Bovoni would add 13 megawatts of solar power and 10 megawatt hours of storage. Together, the installations could provide more than half of the daytime electricity needs for St. Thomas and St. John, according to WAPA CEO Karl Knight.
Supporters said the projects would help reduce outages, lower rates, and advance the territory’s renewable-energy goals. “The interconnection of the Estate Fortuna and Estate Bovoni solar farms will have an immediate positive impact on the reliability of the St. Thomas–St. John electrical grid,” Knight testified. “Combined, they’ll provide an additional 35 megawatts of daytime capacity. This is more than half of the daytime power needs of the district.”
In an interview with the Source, Shanell Spencer, Director of Corporate Communications for WAPA, said the completion of the Fortuna and Bovoni solar farms would “provide instant generation capacity during peak daytime hours,” adding that, “It’ll also reduce the reliance on the aging turbines that we have at the Randolph Harley power plant” which would “allow us to take the turbines offline and do the necessary maintenance while still being able to maintain power for all of our customers.” She also noted, “the less we can use fossil fuels, the better we are at preserving our natural resources.”
Christian Loranger, CEO of VIElectron, told senators the sites were chosen for their south-facing slopes and access to grid infrastructure, calling them “the only suitable parcels on St. Thomas for utility-scale solar of the size required to solve the issue.”
Loranger said roughly $13 million has already been spent on land and engineering, with “tens of millions of dollars in equipment purchases” still ahead.
Officials said recent federal guidance set an end-of-year deadline that significantly shortened the project timeline.
“President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 14315… directing federal agencies to strictly enforce the termination of clean-energy production and investment tax credits unless substantial portions of a facility have already been built,” said Jean-Pierre Oriol, Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
Oriol told senators that the administration’s policy shift abruptly collapsed the project’s timeline; “In an instant, the developer’s 10-year time frame was now reduced to four months.” He also testified that a previously anticipated $70 million in subsidies and tax incentives was lost after the administration “canceled discretionary funds that would provide subsidies and tax breaks for individual solar projects.”
“There was no circumstance in which the proposed developments could go through the full CZM review process and still qualify for the investment tax credit,” Oriol said.
Knight echoed the urgency. “The changes imposed by the Trump White House have placed these projects on an expedited schedule,” he told lawmakers. “We shouldn’t blame each other. We should blame the White House for putting us in this predicament. We know these projects make sense. We just—we have to do what we have to do based on the hand that was dealt to us by the Administration.”
Despite the projected benefits, lawmakers and residents raised a wide range of concerns about the proposals, particularly the decision to bypass the standard review process.
Several senators said that waiving Coastal Zone Management requirements would remove established safeguards and limit opportunities for nearby residents to weigh in.
“We cannot continue to circumvent the law,” Sen. Ray Fonseca said, noting that required public meetings had not been held for either site. “While we recognize the importance of renewable energy… it is crucial that the voices of those who live near these projects are heard and adequately considered.”
Sen. Franklin D. Johnson also objected to speeding up the process. “I don’t submit to anybody putting a shotgun to my head to vote on nothing. When we going to circumvent the process that we have in place here,” he said. “It doesn’t get my support… People elected me, and put people in place, to make decisions for safeguarding people on the property.”
Testifiers also raised concerns about installing industrial-scale solar arrays in hurricane-prone areas, pointing to past incidents where solar panels became dangerous projectiles during storms.
“The solar panels bust my roof and they landed all over… causing damages to my car,” said resident Yolanda Titus, recalling damage from Hurricane Irma and Maria. “These panels… became like cement blocks thrown with the… speed of hurricanes. These damages were uncontrollable.”
Merwin Potter of the St. Thomas West End Alliance warned that large solar installations might become “airborne during storms, resulting in catastrophic damage to homes and communities.” They listed potential risks including “severe hurricane-related damages, airborne debris, soil and water contamination, and significant fire risk.”
Beyond oversight and safety, critics questioned whether the projects would provide meaningful benefits to the communities expected to host them, or simply impose new burdens without proper consultation or compensation.
Testifiers cited the loss of agricultural land, disruptions to daily life, safety concerns, and minimal outreach from the developers as reasons for opposition. “We are saying no to the project simply because the government in itself is bypassing the process… We respectfully and urgently call on this legislature to reject approval of this project. The residents of the West End of St. Thomas have the right to safety, transparency and fair consideration,” Potter said.
Addressing public concerns about community input on the project, Spencer said, “When it comes to community input, that primarily goes through the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, but we are very strong partners with DPNR… to ensure that we are engaged so that the community feels heard and seen moving forward.”
She added that WAPA will keep the public informed through its channels, including website updates, talk radio, digital communications, and face-to-face meetings with area residents across the territory.
Spencer emphasized that the utility is focused on rebuilding trust with the community, saying, “WAPA is really committed to delivering the kind of reliability our families deserve. Not just someday, but step by step right now.”
Skepticism about WAPA’s track record dominated much of the testimony. Lawmakers and residents said years of unfulfilled promises have eroded public confidence.
“People have no faith in WAPA. And they haven’t had faith in WAPA for a long time… The people are skeptical, and I can see why they’re skeptical,” said Sen. Avery Lewis.
Senators approved both waiver bills in an 11‑4 vote, sending the measures to Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. for consideration. The four opposing votes came from Senators Franklin D. Johnson, Alma Francis Heyliger, Ray Fonseca, and Dwayne M. DeGraff.