19,000 Lose Power When Maui Wind Farm Trips Offline

Auwahi Wind, file courtesy photo.

By Maui Now Staff

An estimated 19,258 Maui customers lost power at 12:34 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2015 for about 20 minutes when the Auwahi Wind Farm tripped offline resulting in a sudden and severe loss of wind generation on Maui Electric’s system, company representatives said.

“The electrical system, which runs optimally at 60 hertz, dropped to about 15 hertz when 20.7 megawatts of power from Auwahi Wind went offline,” said Maui Electric communication specialist, Shayna Decker.

As a result, Maui Electric was forced to load shed customers in order to protect and stabilize Maui’s electrical grid.

Customers affected included parts of Lahaina, Kīhei, Kula, Pukalani, Speckelsville and Makawao to Hāna.

Maui Electric representatives say all affected customers were brought back online at 12:57 p.m. on Saturday.