Senate President Milton E. Potter is demanding answers from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. In a formal summons issued today, Potter ca
Senate President Milton E. Potter is demanding answers from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. In a formal summons issued today, Potter called on WAPA CEO Karl Knight to appear before the 36th Legislature on Thursday, April 9, at 10:00 AM at the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall on St. Thomas. The Committee of the Whole hearing will focus on WAPA’s ongoing failure to deliver reliable electricity to St. Thomas and St. John.
“The people of the Virgin Islands are suffering,” Potter said. “They are losing food, seeing their appliances destroyed, facing health and safety emergencies, and losing income due to major issues at the Harley Plant. The Legislature is requesting a clear, time-bound, accountable plan to fix this crisis.”
WAPA’s executive, technical, and financial leadership will be required to testify on six areas: a full chronology of outages over the past 30 to 60 days; the current status of generation units including Unit 15 at Randolph Harley Power Plant; the root causes behind the failures; a detailed reliability improvement plan covering the next zero to 24 months; the utility’s policies on customer communication and claims for spoiled food and damaged appliances; and any legislative or financial support WAPA will need to implement fixes.
“The public’s frustration is entirely justified,” Potter added. “We intend to deliver the accountability and the concrete answers that the people of St. Thomas and St. John deserve.” The April 9 hearing is open to the public.
This article is based on a press release issued by the Office of Senate President Milton E. Potter on April 1, 2026.
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