USVI Blackouts Highlight Colonialism and Renewable Energy Failures
A total blackout struck St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands early Sunday, marking the second outage this weekend and highlighting the territory’s ongoing struggle with unreliable power. These frequent disruptions are attributed to the loss of generation at a power plant, exacerbated by aging infrastructure, significant damage from past hurricanes, and deferred maintenance. Despite investments aimed at improvement, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority continues to face challenges in providing consistent service, with temporary generation and battery storage planned for installation to mitigate future blackouts.
John Q. Hosedrinker