Bryan quells WAPA rumor, VING released from federal oversight

ST. CROIX — Speaking from a podium in Cruz Bay, St. John, on Monday, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. sought to quell rumors that the V.I. Water and Power Authority had reneged on a power purchase agreement with a solar power provider.

“Now, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “And contrary to this, we are actually in the process of connecting that solar farm into the grid, and we’ll be making some announcements about when that power is actually turned on.”

The comments appeared to be a response to an online post claiming that the V.I. Water and Power Authority had reneged on an agreement to buy 18 megawatts from a solar farm in Estate Petronella. According to an unidentified official, the post claimed, WAPA backed out of its initial agreement and is now promising to buy only 10 megawatts at 10 cents per kilowatt.

WAPA spokesperson Shanell Petersen told The Daily News after Monday’s press briefing that the person who reported the claim had “not been in contact with any reliable source from the solar company.”