Hawaiian Electric Restores Power After West Oahu Outages

Electricity disruptions affecting more than 4,300 residents in Nanakuli and Waianae prompted renewed concerns about Hawaiian Electric's service reliability on Oahu, Hawaii. The outages began at 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 9, according to Hawaiian Electric outage maps, while residents also reported traffic signals were not working. Power was subsequently restored to nearly all affected customers.

The latest disruption came as the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) gathered public feedback about storm-related blackouts and the utility's response. Residents have raised concerns about repeated interruptions, business losses, food spoilage, emergency communications and the prospect of higher electricity bills.

Kapolei resident Leticia Hernandez connected the outages to broader financial pressures facing communities along Oahu's leeward coast.

"With the power outages and all of that, I think inflation is going to be another tipping point in what is currently happening with the leeward coast," Hernandez told Hawaii News Now.

The commission began its statewide public meetings in Kailua on October 5, followed by a second gathering at Kapolei High School on October 8. The meetings are intended to collect testimony for the PUC's review of Hawaiian Electric's service reliability and future energy planning.

Hernandez's concerns reflect the financial strain residents have described during the meetings, where some attendees also questioned whether the locations adequately represented communities experiencing frequent outages.

"With the power outages and all of that, I think inflation is going to be another tipping point in what is currently happening with the leeward coast," Hernandez told Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiian Electric Vice President of Energy Delivery Shari Ishikawa defended the utility's restoration work while acknowledging the challenges posed by successive storms.

"We've been tested by three hurricanes in about six weeks, and with the strong El Nino season, we're probably not done yet," Ishikawa said.

Ishikawa cited restoration figures from Hurricane Lowell, which primarily affected West Oahu. She said most affected customers regained electricity within a day, although some households waited longer.

"Restoration for Hurricane Lowell, which affected mainly West Oahu, 95 percent of the customers were restored within 24 hours, and the remaining customers within 36 hours," Ishikawa said.

The utility has also sought PUC approval for a $170 million consolidated revenue increase over two years. Separately, the commission is reviewing a proposed rate adjustment estimated to add $11 to $15 to monthly bills, according to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission meeting coverage published by Aloha State Daily.

Residents at the Kapolei meeting said faster restoration alone would not resolve concerns about the underlying infrastructure or the lack of clear explanations during outages.

"We have a power generating facility within approximately one mile of our community, yet proximity to a power plant does not guarantee reliable electricity at our homes," Nanakuli community representative Kumu Lani Alo-Chu told the commission.

State Rep. Darius Kila of Nanakuli also questioned the clarity of communications about local disruptions.

"It is unfortunate, I know exactly where the power outages are coming from because of the microgrid that's being impacted. I know kind of the idea of what's happening, but I never have a clear and direct answer," Kila said.

State Rep. Chris Muraoka, who represents Waianae and Makaha, challenged the decision to hold the West Oahu meeting in Kapolei rather than in a community more directly affected by the outages.

"So why didn't this meeting happen in Waianae? I promise you, if this happened someplace in 96792, you get a hundred-fifty people in this building. A hundred-fifty more voices speak so much louder," Muraoka said.

At the earlier Kailua meeting, residents described financial losses from repeated interruptions. Aria Castillo, who works for a canoe manufacturing business in Kapa'a Quarry Industrial Park, said the company regularly experiences outages and suffered damage to a canoe being built during Hurricane Lala. The resulting loss was not covered by insurance.

"This is basic infrastructure, and doing business in Hawaii is already so hard, and small businesses and their employees cannot continue to absorb the cost," Castillo said, urging regulators to establish standards addressing documented business losses caused by service interruptions.

State Rep. Scot Matayoshi proposed a capped compensation process for customers seeking reimbursement for losses such as spoiled food and lost income.

"That might incentivize HECO to harden certain parts of the grid or provide backup power, generators, may batteries. A lot of people in my district were very deeply affected by the power outages. They lost a lot of food, the food banks in my district lost all of everything in their freezers and refrigerators, all the meat, everything," Matayoshi said.

Another resident, Cori Terayama, told the commission that cellular service in 'Ahuimanu also fails when Hawaiian Electric loses power, raising concerns about communications during hazardous weather. Terayama called for backup power systems for cell towers in vulnerable areas.

Ishikawa said Hawaiian Electric was upgrading equipment on East Oahu circuits and planning underground cable replacement projects for the following year. She acknowledged that planned improvements do not eliminate residents' immediate frustration when service fails.

"We recognize that hearing about projects underway does not make it less frustrating when the power goes out," Ishikawa said.

The PUC said public testimony would inform future decisions on utility service and energy planning. Its October schedule includes meetings on Hawaii Island on October 20, 21 and 26, with additional sessions planned for other Oahu communities, Maui, Molokai and Lanai. The commission also invited written comments from residents unable to attend in person.