BVIEC crew working to restor power in the Territory following the passage of Hurricane Erin on August 16, 2025. Photo: BVIEC

BVIEC General Manager Dr Neil M. Smith commended the BVIEC team for their extraordinary commitment during the recovery process following Hurricane Erin. Photo: Facebook/File

In a press release today, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the BVIEC said restoration was completed by 8:30 PM on Monday following the passage of Hurricane Erin, which outerbands, rainfall and thunderstorms caused widespread power outages. 

“These conditions significantly affected BVIEC’s electricity infrastructure, disrupting 13 of the Corporation’s 16 feeders. Only the Long Bush East, Wickhams Cay I, and Wickhams Cay II feeders remained online during the hurricane,” the release explained. 

BVIEC also reported that no harm or life-threatening incidents occurred among staff during the restoration period.

All feeders restored with 12 hours of Erin’s passage

Anegada was the first sister island to have full restoration on Sunday, August 17, 2025, by 7:30 PM. Full restoration was achieved on Virgin Gorda by 7:00 PM on Monday, August 18, 2025, with Tortola and Jost Van Dyke having full restoration on Monday evening by 8:30 PM. 

The restoration of power across the islands was thanks to swift action and coordinated response efforts. 

All feeders from the Pockwood Pond, Long Bush, and Long Swamp substations were restored within 12 hours of the storm’s passage, leaving only isolated faults across several communities, the BVIEC revealed. 

Throughout the recovery, BVIEC received approximately 636 fault calls and reports, all of which were resolved by the evening of August 18.

The press release added that the storm’s heavy rainfall and electrical surges caused a range of damage across the Territory, including downed lines, multiple blown fuses and missing phases, damaged transformers, pole fires, and damage to the main transmission line cable powering East End and Virgin Gorda. 

Additionally, a high-voltage switch at the Henry Wilfred Smith Power Station sustained damage from a thunderstorm surge, rendering some switchgear and related generating assets inoperable.

A coordinated recovery effort

According to the release, the BVIEC’s Emergency Operations Centre was activated immediately to coordinate the restoration process, led by General Manager, Dr. Neil Smith, as Incident Commander, and Deputy General Manager, Symorne Penn, as Operations Chief. 

Staff across all departments worked tirelessly around the clock to restore service safely and efficiently, prioritising restoration efforts based on safety and accessibility.

BVIEC General Manager Dr Neil M. Smith commended the BVIEC team for their extraordinary commitment during this recovery process. 

“Despite difficult conditions and widespread damage to our infrastructure, our staff worked around the clock to ensure power was safely restored to every community within a remarkably short timeframe. This achievement reflects the resilience and professionalism of our Corporation.”

The Territory’s sole electricity company said that while service has been fully restored, it will continue vegetation management and infrastructure hardening efforts to reduce risks and improve resilience against future storms.