WAPA CEO Unfazed by Customers Fleeing to Solar, Eyes Large Businesses for Stability

“I'm not in competition with folks that are in a position or trying to be in a position to help themselves," said WAPA CEO Karl Knight, responding to lawmakers when pressed on Thursday by lawmakers on the increasing number of Virgin Islands leaving WAPA in favor of alternative energy sources.

The chronic inability of the Water and Power Authority to offer a consistent power supply to paying Virgin Islanders is encouraging families and individuals to consider renewable sources of electricity generation. For those who can afford it, options like solar energy are quickly gaining momentum. As committee chair Senator Milton Potter observed, “more and more Virgin Islanders [are] saying it might not be a bad deal to finance this thing through the banks to get my own independent solar system.”

Mr. Potter wondered whether WAPA had “quantified the impact [of] people leaving the system.” Fewer customers would mean less money collected through the billing process. Mr. Knight, however, did not seem overly concerned about this prospect. “I'm not going to fight the future,” he told lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure and Planning. Instead, Mr. Knight said he intends to “position our public power utility to support the desires and the needs of our community.” For many, the current need is having an independent backup power supply.‌

“I want to help them help themselves,” added Mr. Knight, explaining WAPA’s decision to finance solar power systems through their business office. “I want to help give out rebates. I want to help you get your batteries…My job isn't to compete. I'm not trying to make a profit. I'm not trying to earn sales,” said Mr. Knight. For WAPA’s new CEO, ensuring Virgin Islanders have “a reliable, affordable source of power” is the priority. “If that's you putting panels on your roof, putting batteries in your garage, or putting up your generator, I want to support that,” Mr. Knight declared.