Hawaiian Electric Co. is planning a series of overnight outages for Iwilei, Kakaako and Ala Moana in July as part of an effort to address potentially dangerous flaws in its equipment.

The outages, which will affect approximately 400 businesses and 2,500 residential customers, will start on July 16 and go from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays for three weeks, HECO said.

HECO advises condominium residents to check with their property managers about whether the outages will affect them.

The scheduled repairs come after a string of more than a dozen outages involving the six circuits that are to be upgraded. HECO engineers traced the problem to flaws in coupling devices (known as splices) that connect high-voltage cables to the circuits that supply power to customers, according to a HECO release.

HECO said the faulty splices can affect reliable service and poses a safety risk to crews that work in manholes.

The repairs will begin in Iwilei and proceed to Kakaako and Ala Moana. To safely make repairs and minimize disruption, the crews will need to shut down equipment in the manholes that will result in the outages.

Letters will be sent to both commercial and residential customers affected by the scheduled work. HECO employees also have contacted dozens of customers through visits or phone conversations. A schedule of the outages will be provided in advance.

For more information, call 548-7311 or visit www.hawaiianelectric.com/UndergroundUpgrades.

HECO Power Outages Map by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd

Hawaiian Electric Co’s six circuits slated for underground upgrade over a three-week period and the areas where customers will be affected.