Crews working to restore power to 5,000 affected customers on Maui

Crews working to restore power to 5,000 affected customers on Maui
Update: 1 p.m., Aug. 13, 2023

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.

In West Maui, Hawaiian Electric’s response efforts today are focusing on restoring power to areas of Olowalu, Lahainaluna, and remaining affected pockets of Kāʻanapali, and Nāpili. Yesterday, crews completed installation of a mobile substation at the Lahainaluna substation. The mobile unit is expected to help restore power today to customers in the neighboring subdivision, which includes homes, schools and county water facilities.

In Upcountry, crews are also repairing neighborhood circuits and individual service lines, while verifying that customers’ electrical connecting points are safe to use so the remaining customers in these affected areas can be restored. On Saturday, crews completed the restoration of the Haleakalā crater line, which is another essential portion of the island’s system. 

Hawaiian Electric response efforts include 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.

On Saturday, Hawaiian Electric restored additional circuits in West Maui, picking up customers in the Kā‘anapali Coast area, including the hotels, resorts and condominiums. State and Maui County officials are working with participating hotels and resorts to provide rooms for displaced residents who have been in shelters since the fire.

Because there has been a tremendous amount of damage to the system at the distribution and substation level – these are the parts of the system that deliver electricity to communities and neighborhood – the system is still fragile, and the restoration must be done carefully to, above all, ensure the safety of the public and our workers. 

After the power comes back on, there may be intermittent outages. All Maui customers are asked to be mindful of their use of electricity and conserve by limiting non-essential uses. 

As a reminder, customers affected in West Maui and parts of Upcountry have received notifications that bills and payment collections are currently on hold. For questions, contact customer service at 808-871-9777. 

If using a portable generator, carefully follow instructions in the manufacturer’s manual, for your safety and the safety of Hawaiian Electric employees working to restore electricity to the distribution system. Don’t plug household electrical outlets to the generator. Instead, plug your equipment or appliance directly into the generator. Make sure the wattage requirements of the appliance don’t exceed the capacity of your generator or extension cord. Also, be sure to provide adequate ventilation for exhaust and cooling. And store reserve fuel in a safe place away from the generator or any other equipment that might ignite the fuel; use containers designed for fuel storage.

Everyone is reminded to exercise caution as certain areas are brought back online and to stay away from downed power lines – at least 30 feet or more (at least two car lengths). If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and dangerous. Report downed lines immediately by calling Hawaiian Electric’s Maui Trouble Line at 808-871-7777.

Updates are also available at hawaiianelectric.com/windstormresponse