Wednesday’s Pukalani failure remains under investigation; Archery arrow found in line during inspection: Maui Now

Hawaiian Electric continues to investigate the cause of a power outage early Wednesday morning that left an estimated 2,500 customers without power. The outage was reported at 2:15 a.m. on May 8th.

Shayna Decker, director of government and community affairs for Hawaiian Electric in Maui, tells Maui Now: “While the exact cause is still being determined, inspections have found an archer’s arrow caught on a line and trees on a section of power lines in the area.” ”

The restoration of power to affected customers began around 9:30 a.m., with all but three customers back online by 11:15 a.m. For the remaining three customers without power, power is expected to be restored later today after trees are felled and inspection checks are completed.

“As part of Hawaiian Electric’s enhanced wildfire protection measures, this Pukalani circuit will take longer to restore because it is set to trip quickly when a situation is detected and remain de-energized until Hawaiian Electric crews complete a visual inspection of the affected area “We’ve completed it and thinks it’s safe to recharge,” Decker said. “Visual inspection of the affected area provides an additional safety measure and will result in longer outages, particularly if the outage occurs at night or early in the morning when visibility is poorer.”

To minimize the impact on customers in the future, work is underway to protect the electrical system against extreme weather events and reduce potential hazards.