Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has urged politicians and the public to move past the long-running BiWater controversy, arguing that continued references to the failed project distract from the urgent task of fixing the territory’s water and sewage systems.
Dr Wheatley made the remarks during his debate on the Virgin Islands Energy and Water Corporation Bill, 2026, after Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn referenced BiWater and its corresponding woes in his contribution to the debate. The Premier dismissed further discussion of the issue as politically exhausted, saying, “Whoever squeezed whatever political juice out of that — there’s not a drop left. We done wring out that BiWater, Adrian White thing. We need to forget about that now.”
The BiWater project originated from a 2010 build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) agreement signed under the then-Virgin Islands Party administration to improve water production, storage and sewage infrastructure on Tortola. The deal later became mired in controversy and legal disputes, and BiWater’s local operations were eventually sold to Seven Seas Water — a move that remains contested in political circles.
While the project has often been blamed for contributing to today’s water challenges, Premier Wheatley suggested that the issue has been over-politicised. He expressed sympathy for former Communications and Works Minister Julian Fraser, who spearheaded the BiWater initiative, arguing that Fraser took serious steps to address a longstanding problem and was not given sufficient time to complete the work.
“The Minister responsible took serious measures to solve a challenge,” Dr Wheatley said, adding that if Fraser had been allowed to continue in office, he believes the distribution and storage issues could have been resolved. The Premier stressed that the territory’s main problem has never been water production, but rather ageing transmission lines, leaking distribution systems and inadequate storage capacity.
Dr Wheatley also pointed out that governments that failed to make the necessary strategic investments in water and sewage infrastructure left those problems to compound over time. “It is the investments of yesterday — or the lack of investments of yesterday — that contribute to the situation of today,” he said.
Calling for a shift in focus, the Premier urged residents to look forward rather than backwards, emphasising that the proposed legislation is intended to modernise how water, sewage and electricity are managed by placing them under a single statutory body. He said this reform, coupled with major infrastructure investment, represents a decisive break from past approaches and a real opportunity to finally resolve the territory’s utility challenges.
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