Vitema & vingn emergency battery storage system the virgin islands territorial emergency management agency (vitema) is the lead agency for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery across the U.S.…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs awarded $3.385 million to the Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (Viwapa) under the Economic, Social, and Political Development of the Territories program (CFDA 15.875) on November 1, 2025, for installation of a 4-hour/2-megawatt (8 megawatt-hour) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) headquarters in St. Thomas, USVI. The project, with a completion deadline of September 30, 2030, will deliver critical backup power infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted emergency coordination and disaster response operations during power outages and natural disasters.

The BESS will be strategically integrated with VITEMA's existing power infrastructure and connected to the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (VINGN) Superfap broadband facility to maintain continuous communications and data system operations during grid failures. This infrastructure upgrade will enhance the territory's emergency management capacity, support sustainability objectives, and strengthen public confidence in the U.S. Virgin Islands' disaster response capabilities. As the sole provider of electricity and water services across the territory, Viwapa has demonstrated experience delivering critical utility infrastructure support to federal emergency response operations and has received substantial prior federal grant funding for similar battery energy storage installations and infrastructure modernization projects.

Vitema & vingn emergency battery storage system the virgin islands territorial emergency management agency (vitema) is the lead agency for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery across the U.S. Virgin islands. To ensure uninterrupted emergency coordination and public safety during power outages and natural disasters, vitema requires a reliable and resilient energy solution. This project proposes the installation of a 4-hour/2-megawatt battery energy storage system (bess) at vitema's ST. Thomas headquarters. The bess will provide critical backup power, enhance operational resiliency, and be integrated with the virgin islands next generation network (vingn) superfap to maintain continuous broadband access during outages. This mission-critical upgrade will strengthen emergency operations, support sustainability goals, and reinforce public confidence in the territory's disaster response capabilities. This project involves the installation of a 4-hour/2-megawatt (8MWH) battery energy storage system (bess) at the virgin islands territorial emergency management agency (vitema) headquarters in ST. Thomas, usvi. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide a reliable and sustainable energy solution that ensures vitema's critical emergency coordination and disaster response operations remain fully operational during power failures and natural disasters. The bess will be strategically integrated with vitema's existing power infrastructure to offer a robust backup power source, enhancing the agency's ability to respond swiftly and effectively in times of crisis. As part of this effort, the bess will also be connected to the virgin islands next generation network (vingn) superfap located on site. This connection will help ensure continuous broadband access during outages, supporting uninterrupted emergency communications and data systems. Vitema and vingn will significantly strengthen their capacity to maintain uninterrupted communications, emergency coordination, and command and control functions during major incidents. This project not only supports the continuity of government and public safety operations, but also delivers a long-term, resilient energy solution tailored to the agency's vital role in protecting lives and property across the territory. Hybrid vehicle project the ST. Thomas/ST. Croix (STT/STX) revenue assurance department aggressively administers the revenue protection program for the prevention and detection of unauthorized electricity and water use throughout the territory to include ST. John and water island. This intricate network is joined with the internal audit department, which is mandated to enhance and protect organizational value by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight. The fundamental objective for revenue assurance activities therefore is to help management with the assessment and containment of the risk of revenue loss due to operational inconsistencies and anomalies, errors, fraud, and other sources. Electricity theft is responsible for economic problems for the electric utility due to revenue loss caused by electricity consumers that are not paying for IT. The stealer tends to consume more energy, resulting also in power quality problems. An increase in power demand to values greater than the transformer rated power can result in different quality deviations, like transformer overload, voltage unbalance and steady state voltage drop on system buses. The virgin islands water & power authority is requesting financial assistance from the energizing insular communities program (EIC) to purchase (4) vehicles for the island of ST thomas and ST. Croix.