Complaints over power outages despite recent maintenance; BVIEC explains
Many areas in the Virgin Islands (VI) were without power due to the effects of Hurricane Erin on Saturday, August 16, 2025, and into Sunday, August 17, 2025.
In a live Facebook update on Sunday, Mr Kamal Haynes, BVIEC’s Public Relations and Marketing Media Manager, spoke with engineers Isaiah Jacobs and Daymian Jennings.
Many residents expressed frustration at being left without power, with one customer commenting on the live, “All the maintenance ayo say ayo do, having people being hot at nights all those time and aya system still can’t keep up?”
Maintenance was for in-house switch gears not outside distribution lines
BVIEC Engineer Daymian Jennings, in response, explained, “That maintenance was for the switch gears that was in-house. Those switch gears have to be maintained and are what we use to send power out onto the lines.”
The storms, he said, affect the power “outside on the lines” and “storms tend to exploit the weaknesses of the lines”.
Maintenance conducted recently was not linked to the outside distribution lines, he added.
“That’s a different type of maintenance that we’ll have to do going forward.”
Restoration works called off on Saturday for safety reasons
Meanwhile, BVIEC field workers were already responding to outages; however, Mr Jennings said efforts were hindered as the rain and winds began.
“Also, lightning is an issue as well, and just the visibility and driving on the road is dangerous for the guys to get from one side to the other because we had problems from east to west.”
He added that in efforts to limit their exposure to danger, restoration works on Saturday had to be “called off” at a certain time.
Thunder & lightning affect the lines directly
Mr Jennings also explained that thunder and lightning affect the power lines directly.
“Once they hit the lines, they would overload the transformer circuit and cause the fuses to blow; so that would cause outages in that regard…rains can cause short circuits, winds can blow trees down, and pull lines down and become a domino effect because…one tree falling on a main line could affect a feeder.”
He added that in events like these, compounded by adverse weather conditions, BVIEC teams are unable to go out to assess and repair.
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24 Responses to “Complaints over power outages despite recent maintenance; BVIEC explains”
prepare ourselves better in case of storms and outages. This has been life in these Virgin Islands for ages, so
just work with it.
That is a very low bar and a very good indicator of how our electrical infrastructure, much like our roads and waters is in a desperate situation, despite $3Billion spent by VI Government in 8 years (with no accounts to show) . is not up to the job.
We need the police to find out where all our money went.
https://www.721news.com/2025/08/nv-gebe-and-nrpb-begin-final-phase-of-installation-of-underground-cables-and-waterlines/
A live stream of someone in Grand Bahama gets cut off at times due to power outages.
I was out of power for well over 15 hours, but I just had to be patient and wait my turn. I have teenage children who asked "don't they plan on turning the power on?" I simply said "We are not the only ones out of power and there are only so many workmen, so we just have to be patient and wait our turn". Our power returned within 30 minutes of me saying that. A little patience goes a very long way.
When you see those guys out working in these types of conditions, instead of complaining, buy them a few bottles of water or even something to eat just to keep them going. I know they would appreciate it. BVI ELECTRICITY I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK YOU GUYS DO DURING TIMES LIKE THESE. Block out the negativity and keep up the great work. THERE ARE THOSE WHO ACTUALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL.