Over 250,900 HECO customers remain without power across Hawaii

UPDATE: 12:26 a.m.

As of 11 a.m., approximately 250,900 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers on Hawaii island, Oahu and Maui County remain without power.

Customers on Hawaii island are urged to prepare for extended power outages in the hardest hit rural areas of the island. Oahu customers from Salt Lake to East Oahu are urged to continue conserving electricity until 10 p.m. today to ensure adequate power generation.

>> Hawaii island: About 50,800 customers on Hawaii island are without power including all the east and south sides of the island as well as Waimea and Honokaa.

>> Maui County: Approximately 26,200 remain without power in portions of West Maui, areas of Upcountry, South and Central Maui, Haiku and areas of Lanai and Molokai.

>> Oahu: About 173,900 customers remain without power mostly in Honolulu, parts of Leeward and Windward Oahu.

Several main transmission lines have been affected by the storm on Oahu, Hawaii island and Maui.

“Transmission lines are the backbone of our power grid, connecting power plants and other generation sources to our communities, and must be repaired first,” according to a statement. “Some of these transmission lines cross remote terrain and mountainous areas and can span miles, making repairs challenging and lengthy.”

HECO continues to work on damage assessments and restoring power wherever possible with priority given to the greatest number of customers affected by power outages.

“Emergency facilities such as hospitals, the water supply facilities, wastewater plants, military facilities, and the airports will have first priority for restoration after a storm,” according to HECO. “Be assured, though, that we remain committed to restoring service to all of our customers, and our crews will do their best to restore power as soon as possible.”

The Western Region Mutual Assistance Group is sending 100 mainland crew members from partner electric utilities who are expected to arrive Tuesday to assist HECO with power restoration.

“The safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority,” according to a news release. “Weather permitting, damage assessments have begun as crews are on-the-ground inspecting electrical infrastructure before any repairs can be made. Aerial inspections by helicopter and drones are also taking place on Hawai‘i Island and Maui today and on O‘ahu tomorrow.”

11 a.m.

Hawaiian Electric is asking its Oahu customers from Salt Lake to East Oahu to conserve electricity use through 10 p.m. today.

As of 7 a.m., over 110,000 Oahu customers were without service, including more than 13,000 from Aina Haina to Waimanalo where power remained out by late morning.

HECO said Oahu’s electrical system has been “heavily impacted by the destructive strong winds and heavy rainfall” from Tropical Storm Lala as it passed about 75 miles south of the island earlier today.

“Energy conservation by the public can help ensure sufficient power is available to meet demand. Suggested steps include turning off or lessening use of air conditioners, delaying hot showers, laundry, dish-washing activities, and minimizing cooking until later in the evening,” company officials said in a news release.

Hawaiian Electric said it has already asked larger commercial customers to voluntarily reduce electricity usage.

“System operators will also work on further reducing the demand for power by activating Hawaiian Electric’s demand response programs.,” they said. “These voluntary programs help lower the overall use of electricity by reducing the energy output of certain appliances or equipment, such as water heaters and air conditioners, for participating residential customers and non-essential lighting and heating or cooling systems for participating commercial customers.”

Sunday, 9 a.m.

Nearly 200,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers throughout the state are without electricity today as the company works on assessing the damage and restoring power.

In an update this morning, company officials said Tropic Storm Lala’s powerful winds and flooding rains have made it difficult to access troublespots on Hawaii island, Oahu and in Maui County.

“Customers should prepare for extended outages lasting weeks or even months in the hardest hit rural areas of Hawaii island,” the company said.

“At the height of the storm, on Hawaii island, the company heeded civil defense warnings and stayed off the roads. Work is resuming in areas as hazardous conditions subside,” HECO officials said.

They said restoration efforts today will focus on damage assessments and repairs to the main transmission system to enable HECO to reconnect independent power producers to the Big Island grid. Those efforts will include on-the-ground and aerial inspections by helicopter and drones on the Big Island, in Maui County and on Oahu.

As of 7 a.m., about 197,400 customers were without electricity, HECO officials said.

>> About 110,700 HECO customers on Oahu have no electricity, with the majority in parts of Leeward Oahu and Honolulu, as well as Windward Oahu.

>> About 58,000 Hawaii island customers remain without power including all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa.

>> Roughly 28,700 customers remain without power in all of West Maui, parts of Upcountry, South and Central Maui, Haiku, as well as areas of Lanai and Molokai.

Officials said Hawaiian Electric is part of the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group and will be bringing in crews from other electric utilities to help with restoration. Roughly 100 crew members are anticipated to arrive as early as Tuesday and could begin work as soon as Wednesday.

They reminded the public to stay away from downed power lines and other utility equipment.

The company also said that 63,188 customers across five islands have had their power restored since Lala started hitting the islands.

Saturday, 10:10 p.m.

Over 88,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers were in the dark tonight and company officials said they will bring in out-of-state to help restore power as soon as Hurricane Lala passes the state.

HECO said Lala’s hurricane-force wind and rain has impeded their efforts to get the lights turned back on for customers on Hawaii island, Maui and Oahu.

“For the safety of crews and the public, restoration work has to halt when the weather gets too dangerous,” they said in a news release. “On Hawaii Island, hazardous conditions on the roadways such as flooding and downed trees have also prompted the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency to ask crews to stay off the roads. Work in Maui County and on Oahu will continue until the storm gets closer to those areas and forces Hawaiian Electric personnel to take shelter.”

HECO said that as of 7 p.m.:

>> On Hawaii island, 63,270 customers, including all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa, were without power. “Wind gusts near 90 mph have been recorded in some areas as the storm stalled over the island. On the Hamakua coast, wind-toppled trees knocked down multiple poles and structures along a 42-mile span of transmission lines, which will take time to inspect and repair once the weather improves.”

>> On Maui, about 15,260 customers were without electricity, including all of West Maui, and parts of Upcountry and South Maui, and Haiku. “These customers should prepare for extended overnight outages. Extreme wind gusts, sometimes topping 80 mph, have battered West Maui for much of the day, preventing any damage assessments to start on the three transmission lines that serve the area. In Upcountry Maui, crews had to pause work where trees and large tree limbs have been falling across roadways due to the severe weather.”

>> On Oahu: about 9,500 customers had no power in Aina Haina, Ewa Beach, Kaimuki, Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Manoa and Nuuanu. “High winds driven by the approaching hurricane have damaged one major transmission line and half a dozen sub-transmission lines.”

Officials said Hawaiian Electric is part of the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group and will be bringing in crews from other electric utilities as early as Tuesday to help with restoration.

They said over 67,100 HECO customers across five islands have had power restored today.

4:35 p.m.

Hawaiian Electric Co. officials are warning Hawaii island customers that they may have “load shed,” or temporarily turn off power to customers, to maintain system stability and prevent damage to generating units.

As of 3 p.m., the company said it had a total of about 44,000 customers with no electricity on Hawaii island, Oahu and in Maui County.

HECO officials said four of its independent power providers disconnected from the electrical grid on the Big Island due to damage from Hurricane Lala, which may lead them to y need to “load shed.” The temporary forced outages would only affect Hawaii island, they said.

Two of the island’s largest independent power producers, Puna Geothermal Venture and Hamakua Energy Partners, as well as wind energy providers Hawi Renewable Development and Pakini Nui, have also been unable to connect to the island’s grid, HECO said.

In a 4 p.m. update, the company “strongly urges customers to plan for possible extended outages, potentially overnight, as the storm system makes its way westward across the island chain at least through tomorrow.”

Officials said that as of 3 p.m.:

>> About 32,300 customers are without power in Hilo, Kona, Kohala, Hamakua, and Puna. On the Hamakua coast, wind-toppled trees knocked down multiple poles and structures along a 42-mile span of transmission lines. Wind gusts upward of 70 mph have been recorded in parts of the island.

>> Roughly 3,300 customers are without power in parts of Upcountry Maui, Haiku, as well as pockets in West and South Maui and Molokai. Extreme wind gusts, often upward of 70 mph, have been battering West Maui since noon.

>> And on Oahu, about 8,400 customers are without power in Aina Haina, Kaimuk, Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Manoa and Nuuanu.

Over 42,000 Hawaiian Electric customers have had their power restored today, they said.

12:25 p.m.

Hawaiian Electric said over 23,000 customers were without power as of late this morning as wind gusts of 60 mph were recorded in parts of Hawaii island and West Maui.

Downed trees and debris blown into power lines are the primary causes of the outages, HECO said. Company officials said that as of 11 a.m.:

>> About 18,700 Hawaii island customers are without electricity in north and south Hilo, north and south Kohala, Hamakua and Puna. On the Hamakua coast, crews were assessing a 42-mile span of transmission lines after fallen trees knocked down multiple poles and structures.

>> About 5,180 Maui customers are without power in the Upcountry areas of Makawao, Pukalani and Kula, as well as a part of Haiku and Puukolii in West Maui.

>> Also, about 150 Oahu customers don’t have electricity, with nearly 1,300 restored since the onset of the storm.

Officials said in a news release that crews restored power to 20,240 customers on Big Island and 730 in Maui County whose power was knocked out by the winds and rain overnight and this morning. “However, restoration work may need to pause as weather conditions intensify and make it unsafe for crew members and customers in the area,” they cautioned.

Customers can call HECO’s trouble lines to report downed power lines: Hawaii island, 855-304-9191; Maui County, 855-304-8181; and Oahu, 855-304-1212

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Hawaiian Electric reports over 4,000 customers were without power this morning on Hawaii island where Lala is beginning to hit with heavy rain and powerful winds.

Customers should continue to plan for possible extended outages as the storm system makes its way across the island chain, company officials said in a news release this morning.

The company said, as of 9 a.m.:

>> About 4,050 customers were without power, mainly in Puna, North and South Kohala and South Hilo. Another 940 customers werewithout power in the Waimea/Sunset area.

>> Electricity was out for roughly 160 customers in Upcountry Maui.

>> And on Oahu, just over 100 customers in Hawaii Kai have lost power.

HECO officials said crews are standing ready and prepared to begin damage assessments as soon as it is safe to do so, but that customers should be prepared for extended outages as Lala moves past the islands this weekend.

They also warn the public to avoid any downed power lines.