Above: Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño and US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño and US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh have signed a letter asking White House to support an initiative to develop an electrical interconnection between the two territories.

The call comes several months after the closure of the HOVENSA refinery in St Croix, which was the USVI’s primary supplier of energy.

The letter, which was addressed to David Agnew, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, asks the White House to provide leadership and interagency coordination “to ensure that all the federal agencies work synergistically towards its successful realization.”

The proposed 50-mile submarine cable would connect the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.

Puerto Rico could then sell excess capacity to the Virgin Islands, reducing electrical costs for both territories while improving the stability of the grid in the event of a natural disaster.

The next step forward for the project would be to secure approximately $3 million to fund an environmental feasibility study.