The generators that keep failing at the Randolph Harley Power Plant are also part of why St. Thomas power costs more this fall. On Oct. 13, 2026, the Virgin Islands Public Services Commission voted 3–1 to raise the fuel portion of every electric bill by three cents per kilowatt-hour. Six days later, WAPA told senators that rolling outages could return to St. Thomas and St. John because three generating units are still out of service.
The units that are down are part of why WAPA is burning more diesel, and diesel costs much more than it did in January. Until a unit comes back, the risk of outages and the pressure on the fuel charge come from the same place. Anyone weighing a home on this grid should count both.
Three units, one plant, one fuel bill
The units are all at the Randolph Harley Power Plant. In testimony reported by the St. Croix Source, WAPA's director of corporate communications, Shanell Spencer, told the Senate Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection Committee that Units 23 and 15 and Wärtsilä Unit 5 are all waiting on repairs. Restoring any one of them would give the plant enough backup to avoid rolling outages if another unit failed. "It's really a race to identify or to repair one of those units first. Until then, yes, we will continue to see those rolling outages," she said.
The timelines are long:
- Unit 15 was expected back in September. A needed part is still being sourced, and repairs are now projected for January 2027.
- Unit 23 needs gearbox work and is projected to return between October and December 2027. Buying a new gearbox would push it well into 2028.
- Wärtsilä Unit 5 has no return date. WAPA is working with the manufacturer on the repair.
Units 15 and 23 go through FEMA's Prudent Replacement Program, which the Office of Disaster Recovery manages, and the office's contractor has reported delays.
The cost side shows up in the PSC's Oct. 14 release. WAPA Executive Director Karl Knight told commissioners that diesel had risen from $1.99 a gallon in January 2026 to about $4.57. He also cited rising propane costs and "increased reliance on diesel generation resulting from ongoing mechanical and maintenance challenges." Units that are down mean the plant runs differently, and running differently means more expensive fuel. Spencer told senators that WAPA has enough diesel and liquefied petroleum gas on hand, and that its problem is "financial shortfalls."
What three cents does to a bill
The fuel charge is called the LEAC, or Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause, and it is billed separately from WAPA's base rate. The PSC raised it from 22.2246 cents to 25.2246 cents per kWh and waived the usual 30-day notice.
WAPA's posted residential rate breakdown is dated March 1, 2022, and it still lists the old 22.2246-cent fuel charge. Adding the new three cents to its totals gives the figures below. These are our own calculations on WAPA's schedule, not a new tariff WAPA has published.
| Residential charge | Posted total, old LEAC | With Oct. 2026 LEAC |
|---|---|---|
| First 250 kWh | 40.8479¢/kWh | 43.8479¢/kWh |
| All other kWh | 43.4677¢/kWh | 46.4677¢/kWh |
| Monthly customer charge | $4.86 | $4.86 |
At 400 kWh a month, those totals come to about $172 before the increase and about $184 after it. The difference is about $12, which matches WAPA's own estimate for a 400 kWh household. A villa with pool pumps and air conditioning running for guests uses far more than 400 kWh, and every extra kilowatt-hour falls in the higher tier.
The January number matters more than this one
The increase is temporary, and that is what a buyer should pay attention to. It runs through Dec. 31, 2026, "pending the Authority's next LEAC filing," and WAPA is expected to file for the period starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Two details in the PSC release suggest the pressure is still there. WAPA said it has built up about $21 million in unrecovered fuel costs and called the three-cent change only a partial recovery. The Commission's consultants said the increase "may not fully address WAPA's projected fuel-cost shortfall." Commissioner Clement Magras voted no, citing concerns about consistency in how emergency fuel requests are handled.
Now put that next to the repair schedule. Unit 15 is projected back in January 2027, the same month the next fuel rate takes effect. If the part arrives on time, the plant gets some flexibility back just as the new rate is set. If it slips again, the grid keeps relying on the generation that pushed costs up in the first place. A buyer closing this winter is buying into whichever of those happens.
The 10-kilowatt line in the solar rules
Higher fuel charges usually make rooftop solar look better. On this grid, how much better depends on a size threshold that many listings never mention.
WAPA's Net Energy Billing page explains that under 12 V.I.C. § 1149, net metering expired on Jan. 1, 2025, for residential systems over 10 kW AC. Those larger systems had to move to Net Energy Billing starting Jan. 1, 2026. Residential systems of 10 kW or less stay under the original net metering structure.
The two programs value exported power very differently. Net metering credits exports at the full retail rate. Net Energy Billing credits them at 75% of the LEAC and settles credits monthly instead of letting them roll over indefinitely. At the October LEAC of 25.2246 cents, 75% comes to roughly 18.9 cents per exported kWh. Every kilowatt-hour that same household pulls from the grid costs about 43.8 to 46.5 cents.
For a home on Net Energy Billing, a kilowatt-hour used on site or stored in a battery is worth more than twice as much as one sent back to WAPA. A larger array is not automatically worth more than a smaller one, and the size printed on a listing sheet says little until you know which program the system is enrolled in. Net Energy Billing also requires a bi-directional meter installed by WAPA and a one-time $250 interconnection fee.
What people on the grid are building
The St. Thomas Source reported on Oct. 15 that planned and unplanned outages have hit residents and businesses across the territory regularly from March through October 2026. The most recent was a Randolph Harley failure that caused a districtwide blackout lasting several hours.
The paper profiled people working on solutions. Franklin Foy set up a solar-and-storage system at his home in Beverhoudtsberg, near Gifft Hill School. After the 2017 hurricanes damaged an earlier system, he rebuilt by trying different combinations of panels and batteries. Dan Boyd, owner of Solergy Inc. on St. John, has promoted a system-wide "spinning reserve" of synchronized generators since 2014. He has also proposed about 140 battery systems on St. John, along with microgrids that would let homes draw on stored power and recharge from WAPA lines. A former hardware-store clerk told the paper that customers at St. John's two hardware stores came looking for batteries, rechargeable lights, fans and generators, and that frequent outages drove more demand than storms did.
Outages also last longer than the word "rolling" suggests. Sen. Ray Fonseca said some customers lost power for more than seven hours during last week's outages, and some for as long as 15. A battery sized for a short interruption is a different purchase from one sized for that.
Questions for a St. Thomas due-diligence file this winter
- What did the last twelve months of WAPA bills come to, and how many kilowatt-hours did they cover? That number, multiplied by the tiers above, is your baseline.
- If the home has solar, what is the system's AC rating, and is it enrolled in net metering or Net Energy Billing?
- Is there a bi-directional meter, and is there documentation of the interconnection?
- Is there battery storage or a standby generator, and what does it keep running during a seven-hour outage?
- For a rental property, how do the power costs and outage plans show up in the guest experience and the operating budget?
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how any utility program or rule applies to your property with the right professional.
FAQ
How long does the 25.2246-cent fuel charge last? Through Dec. 31, 2026. WAPA's next filing covers the period starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Is St. John getting its own backup generation? Four Cummins units totaling 10 megawatts have arrived and are stored at Randolph Harley. Two are planned for Frank Bay and two for Coral Bay. A Department of Planning and Natural Resources permitting hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, and installation is targeted for January 2027.
How do I get outage notices? WAPA sends alerts first by Everbridge text message, then on social media and other channels. About 15,000 customers territorywide are enrolled.
On island, a home's power setup is part of what it costs to own, and that holds whether you live there full time or rent it to guests. At Clear Water Realty, we look at WAPA bills, solar enrollment and backup systems alongside the listing, so you know what you're taking on before January's rate is set. Explore Properties with a team that reads the meter as closely as the floor plan.
