WAPA CEO Karl Knight told the Public Services Commission that the authority is pursuing five refurbished Mars 90 gas turbines with about 45 megawatts of combined capacity.
The plan assigns two approximately 9-megawatt units to the Randolph Harley plant serving the St. Thomas–St. John district and three to St. Croix. WAPA says the St. Croix units would replace leased generation, while all five would remain in the fleet alongside later FEMA-funded replacements.
The authority has not announced a completed purchase, final price, delivery date or commissioning schedule. Knight said load testing could occur within weeks, but that is not the same as the units being installed and available to the grid.
WAPA says factory-new units could not arrive before late 2028 even if it enters the manufacturing queue now. The refurbished turbines are being considered as an interim capacity step and are expected to burn liquefied petroleum gas.
WAPA should publish the acquisition price, financing, warranties, test results, delivery milestones and expected fuel and reliability savings before the purchase is finalized.
Source published October 14, 2026; publication time not displayed. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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