#Maui Electric Company

The Kūihelani Solar Phase 2 project needs to complete the permitting process before federal tax credits expire next year due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

With hurricane and wildfire season coming up, Hawaiian Electric hosts a West Maui Emergency Preparedness Open House event to help prepare residents and their communities on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria. 

Hawaiian Electric Company unveiled details today regarding its Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS program for lessening the risk of wildfires in Hawaiʻi, which will launch on July 1. As part of this program, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in certain areas it has identified as high risk during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. In Maui County, the program will start in West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of central Molokaʻi (affecting approximately 26,100 customers).

Hawaiian Electric reports that power has been restored to all customers in Kula as of 6:40 p.m. The outage was due to a large tree on power lines.

Hawaiian Electric urges customers to prepare for rains and winds impacting Oʻahu, Maui County and Hawaiʻi island on Friday and Saturday.

As of 11:10 p.m. power was restored to the remaining 50 customers in West Maui. To report an outage on Maui, call the Hawaiian Electric Company 24/7 trouble line at 808-871-7777.

Hawaiian Electric has expanded the Shift and Save pilot program on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island to 16,000 participants who will test new time-of-use or TOU rates starting Feb. 1.  Commencement of the study on Maui is temporarily suspended; however, eligible Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi customers may voluntarily enroll in the TOU rates.

Today is Utility Scam Awareness Day and Hawaiian Electric wants to remind customers that it doesn’t accept payment via cryptocurrency, prepaid debit cards, gift cards or money transfer.

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least Jan. 5, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation. Maui customers who are financially challenged by the devastating wildfires will not have to worry about potential disconnection of their electric service.

Hawaiian Electric today announced actions it is taking as part of its Wildfire Safety Strategy, particularly in drought-stricken areas at elevated risk for wildfires.

Currently, crews are continuing repairs to restore an approximate 300 remaining customers in Lahaina, including the Wahikuli area. In the last two weeks, with more areas being cleared for re-entry by emergency response officials, crews restored power to about 350 customers in the Kahoma Village, parts of Puamana and Upper Kapunakea area.

Hawaiian Electric Company President and CEO Shelee Kimura provided an update on the one month mark since wildfires devastated the Lahaina and Upcountry communities on Maui.

The company outlined a list of factors related to the Aug. 8, 2023 events, saying that at around 3 p.m., “power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours” when a second fire in the afternoon began in the same area—in a field near Lahaina Intermediate School.

Today, the County of Maui filed a lawsuit against Maui Electric Company, Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company and Hawaiian Electric Industries for civil damages allegedly caused to the County’s public property and resources as a result of recent Maui fires, including fires in Lahaina and Kula.

Hawaiian Electric crews working to restore power to customers have completed repair of damaged transmission lines in the Upcountry area. Work continues on infrastructure to support restoration in the West Maui area, where facilities that provide essential needs such as groceries and supplies are located. 

Hawaiian Electric restoration crews have brought back online more than 60% of customers who have been without electricity since Tuesday. Crews are continuing work to restore approximately 5,000 customers in West Maui and Upcountry. The customer outage count has not been adjusted downward to account for structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Hawaiian Electric restored additional circuits today in West Maui, picking up customers along the Kā‘anapali Coast, including many of the hotels, resorts and condominiums that had been without electricity since Tuesday. Since Friday, service has been restored to about 5,500 customers in West Maui.

Hawaiian Electric restoration efforts continue today with more than 300 Hawaiian Electric employees and contractors working to safely bring power back to communities in West Maui and Upcountry. Employees from O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i are also providing additional response resources, including staffing, expertise, materials and equipment to expedite and respond to the restoration efforts on Maui.

In continued coordination with State and County emergency response efforts, Hawaiian Electric crews today are continuing to make repairs in areas that are safe and accessible. 70 customers remain without power in Upcountry. All of West Maui remains without power.

Update: 12 p.m., Aug. 9, 2023. Hawaiian Electric is asking for continued patience from affected West Maui and Upcountry customers without power and for affected customers to plan for extended outages as access to many impacted areas is limited due to safety and emergency response concerns.