Electric Service Interruption to Affect 240 in East Maui

East Maui Power Outage. Maui Now image.

Maui Electric Company will be conducting work that will require an interruption of electrical service on Tuesday, July 12, to customers in East Maui from Honopou Road (Twin Falls), Huelo, Kailua, Ke‘anae, and Nāhiku.

The scheduled interruption is weather permitting and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Company representatives say the project is aimed at improving electrical service to East Maui residents and businesses.

Hāna town, from Kalo Street to Koali, will experience a momentary service interruption at 9 a.m. when they are switched over to back-up generating units at the Hāna Substation, and again at 4 p.m. when they are put back online.

Crews will work to maintain overgrown trees, encroaching electrical lines and upgrading electrical equipment. Safe completion of the job will require an interruption of service to approximately 240 residential and business customers, who have been earlier notified, in Honopou, Huelo, Kailua, Ke‘anae, and Nāhiku.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank the East Maui community for their patience,” said Sharon Suzuki, president of Maui Electric. “Such maintenance is necessary as vegetation in some of these areas is very dense and needs to be trimmed back from the electrical lines that service some of our island’s most remote places. The lines need to be de-energized for the crews to work safely.”

The work will require tree trimming crews to hike into forested areas where the electrical lines run and climb trees ranging up to 100-feet in height to trim branches nearing the lines. While electrical service is interrupted, other crews will also be upgrading electrical equipment on this same electrical line.

“We schedule this type of vegetation management in the summer when conditions are safer because it’s less windy and drier in the area,” said Jesse Joao, field operations supervisor and project lead. “This work is also being done in preparation for the wet and stormy season coming up when tree branches often come down on the lines in these areas.”

For more information about the service interruption or work, customers can call Maui Electric’s 24-hour Trouble Line at 871-7777 (when prompted press 1).