After pushing the button that set off final explosives for the St. Thomas liquid petroleum gas site, V.I. Water and Power Authority Executive Director Hugo Hodge said Thursday the LPG conversion projects on St. Thomas and St. Croix are making "significant progress."
"We have now completed the demolition phase of the projects on both islands and are now moving to the construction phase," Hodge said.
Thursday the authority, along with Vitol and its subcontractor Grade All, completed the final blast of the Grambakola hillside area on St. Thomas to accommodate the LPG storage terminal. Blasting on this site began April 9.
According to WAPA, a total of 24 blasts, averaging 60 holes per blast, have been conducted with 38,756 pounds of explosives. An estimated 46,000 cubic meters of primarily rock material was excavated and removed from the site. The rocky material will be temporarily stored, crushed and returned to the site as fill during the construction phase.
On St. Croix, 11 structures have been demolished and approximately 9,000 cubic meters of soil were excavated to accommodate the terminal facility. A public sewer line crossing the construction site was relocated to avoid service interruption.
The activities in both districts have been completed on schedule, without incident, impact or disruption to ongoing WAPA operations of its generation facilities, according to the authority’s statement.
In addition, the first in a series of 18 storage tanks have been fabricated, tested and prepared for shipment to St. Croix, where they will be stored on the south shore. From this storage site, 10 containers, each with a length of about 173 feet and a diameter of 21 feet, will be transported to the Randolph Harley Power Plant on St. Thomas. The other eight, with a length of almost 157 feet, will be moved to the Estate Richmond Power Plant on St. Croix.
WAPA and Vitol are also pursuing the final site to accommodate the mooring of the Very Large Gas Carrier, which will store the LPG for supply to the terminals. Additionally the authority and Vitol are finalizing the work scope and permitting strategy for the necessary upgrades and repairs to the existing docking facilities in both districts.
Hodge commended the authority’s internal management staff, led by Chief Operating Officer Gregory Rhymer, supported by special projects director Vernon Alexander and engineers Elisa Sanchez and Gabrielle Dore, for their expertise and management of the blasting and excavation activities.
Hodge also thanked other WAPA support staff, Richard Elliott, Vitol’s onsite project manager, Vitol, VTTS, Grade All and Demex for the role they played in this phase of the project and their contribution to ensuring it was completed in a safe manner.