Waena battery storage project hits key milestone, will strengthen Maui grid and support renewables

Jeff Gilbreath, chief executive officer of Hawai‘i Community Lending (HCL), was honored by Pacific Business News (PBN) as one of “Hawai‘i’s Most Admired Leaders” of 2026. Gilbreath and 17 other honorees were celebrated at a gala event on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Halekulani Hotel on Waikīkī Beach.

The Vote Uncle Bobby team invites the community to celebrate Maui County Council candidate, Bobby Pahia’s birthday with an evening of local food, music, culture and connection on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 5 p.m. at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku.

Cmdr. Marc Wallis, a native of Maui, serves in the US Navy as the executive officer assigned to the Red Lancers of Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10).

Hawaiʻi Women in Lodging & Tourism will host its inaugural Maui event, “Wāhine in Balance: Life, Leadership & Legacy,” on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa.

Kaimukī High School teacher Chu Hong, who stepped into a new field and built the school’s agriculture program into a hands-on learning experience connecting students with sustainability, entrepreneurship and future careers, has been named the 2027 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year.

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation encourages Maui community members and other stakeholders to offer online feedback on a proposed project to construct a new Pāʻia Gymnasium. Public comments will be accepted online through Oct. 18, 2026.

Tropical Disturbance 15E could intensify into a tropical depression or storm, bringing potential flooding rains and high winds to Hawaiʻi Island by Wednesday, with lingering effects through the weekend.

Hawaiian Electric’s Waena Battery Energy Storage System project reached a major construction milestone with the arrival and installation of the project’s first six Tesla Megapacks at the project site along Pūlehu Road in Central Maui. The project will be the island’s first standalone load-shifting battery energy storage system that will enable more renewable energy to be used during periods of peak energy demand.

The team behind the planned public school in Waikapū, the New Central Maui School Project, is hosting its second Informational Open House on Oct. 1 and Oct. 3.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery will host its third Commercial Property Workshop on Sept. 30, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. in Morgado Hall at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.

A live opossum has been captured at a freight transporting facility at Honolulu Harbor. Per animal and human health protocol, the opossum was humanely euthanized and submitted for rabies testing.

As part of its ongoing wildfire safety strategy to harden the transmission lines serving West Maui, Hawaiian Electric contractors will conduct utility pole surveys in Lahaina from Sept. 28 through Oct. 7, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.