#Hawaiian Electric

Ameresco, Inc. is hosting a open house community meeting on Tuesday, May 7, to provide information and seek community input about its ‘Ūkiu Energy project located across from the Central Maui Landfill behind Hawaiian Electric’s Waena substation.

A yearlong campaign by Hawaiian Electric employees raised more than $316,000 for Aloha United Way, the utility announced.

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least May 4, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Governor Josh Green’s emergency proclamation.

Hawaiian Electric will postpone the launch of its new rooftop solar and energy storage programs by one month while the company makes changes approved by the Public Utilities Commission, the company announced. The new programs, originally scheduled to launch March 1, will now be available to customers starting April 1.

The program tests time-of-use rates and is intended to reduce bills for customers and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The ʻUkiu Energy 40-megawatt (MW) biofuel-powered generator facility would be built on 10 acres owned by Hawaiian Electric at Waena across from the Central Maui Landfill – Refuse and Recycling Center on Pūlehu Road.

Hawaiian Electric is continuing restoration work to rebuild portions of the electric system in Lahaina in an effort to ensure safe and reliable power to all West Maui customers following the August 2023 wildfires. Ongoing restoration efforts include the rebuilding of transmission and distribution lines along former routes in the Lahaina area with the installation of new interim steel poles and electrical equipment.

Hawaiian Electric reports that power was restored to most impacted customers in Kahului by 2:20 p.m., however 35 customers remained offline. Crews continue to investigate the outage, which was first reported at around 12:20 p.m.

Although Battery Bonus is closed on O‘ahu the program will continue to be available to customers on Maui until June 30, 2024, or a cap of 15 MW is reached, whichever comes first.

Renewable energy projects on Maui include: Three solar-plus-storage projects and one wind project totaling approximately 324 GWh of variable generation, and 320 MWh of storage.

Hawaiian Electric and developer Innergex Renewable Energy have terminated an agreement for a planned grid-scale solar and battery storage project in South Maui. According to HECO, the project was hit with lengthy delays resulting from the developer’s legal challenges and pandemic-related cost and supply-chain issues. Of five solar projects approved on Maui since 2018, only one is being built.

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.

A new recovery fund which will exceed $150 million, will distribute money to families of those who died, and to those who suffered severe personal injuries in the Maui wildfires.

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 will use a helicopter to perform routine power line inspections on Maui on Monday, Nov. 6 to Thursday, Nov. 9, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exact times and locations are subject to change depending on weather conditions.

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.

Hawaiian Electric has extended the suspension of service disconnections for all Maui customers through at least Nov. 6. Maui customers who are financially challenged by the devastating wildfires will not have to worry about their electric service.

During the first Congressional fact-finding hearing about the deadly Aug. 8 Lahaina fire, members of the US House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations grilled Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura about de-energizing power lines, wildfire mitigation efforts and replacing above ground lines connected to wood poles with buried lines.

By order of the Public Utilities Commission, Hawaiian Electric has postponed the start of the new Shift and Save pilot program for approximately 17,000 residential and business customers who were selected at random to test time-of-use rates on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island and Maui.