Oahu dodges rolling outages after Kahe plant boost, conservation
STAR-ADVERTISER FILE
An aerial view of Hawaiian Electric’s Kahe Power Plant on Farrington Highway. Hawaiian Electric avoided rolling outages Wednesday night after crews increased generation at the Kahe Power Plant, supported by customer conservation efforts.
UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.
Hawaiian Electric said in an update this morning it does not anticipate the need for rolling outages today after crews ramped up additional generation resources.
The utility, however, continues to monitor generation capacity and any changes in customer demand.
Hawaiian Electric said the combination of customer conservation, energy storage and energy efficiency programs Wednesday night reduced demand by 40 megawatts last night, helping to avert the need for rolling outages.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, however, is still asking customers to conserve water and use it only for cooking, drinking, and personal hygiene.
“Please hold off on non-essential uses such as car washing, watering plants and lawns, and doing laundry until further notice,” said BWS in an alert posted to HNL.Info this morning.
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Hawaiian Electric said Kalaeloa Partners continues to work on repairs.
“Hawaiian Electric is closely monitoring generation capacity,” the utility said, “and working to bring on more generating resources at Kahe and Waiau Power Plant and the Schofield Generating Station.”
EARLIER COVERAGE
Hawaiian Electric officials said today that the company avoided rolling outages on Oahu Wednesday night after crews increased generation at the Kahe Power Plant, supported by customer conservation efforts.
“We thank our customers for their patience and support during [this] period of tight generation margins,” Darren Pai, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson, said in a news release. “We’re still monitoring the generation situation, but everyone’s conservation efforts made a significant difference last night.”
The shortfall in generation stemmed from the unexpected loss of the island’s largest independently owned power plant, HECO officials said. At around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the 208-megawatt Kalaeloa plant went offline due to a ruptured underground pipe critical to operations, they said.
>> RELATED: Oahu power generation drop prompts rolling blackout warnings
As repairs continue, the company said they are closely monitoring generation capacity and working to bring additional resources online at Kahe and Waiau power plants. The situation remains fluid, and HECO will provide updates on social media.
