In areas of the state prone to storms, drought and wildfires, Hawaiian Electric plans to implement its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program.
Starting July 1, Hawaiian Electric says it will shut off power to its customers if conditions prove too dangerous to life and property.
These actions will occur on red flag warning days, as determined by the National Weather Service, when warmer temperatures, lower humidity and stronger winds could pose an increased risk of fire danger. These actions also follow the deadly August 8 Maui wildfires, which destroyed most of Lahaina.
According to Jim Alberts, senior vice president and chief operations officer of Hawaiian Electric, wildfires pose a major threat to Hawaii.
“Hawaiian Electric has responded with a multi-pronged approach to reduce wildfire risk. One component is proactively shutting off power, which is a last line of defense to protect the community.
Alberts said this in a written statement in May. “We understand that power shutoffs may cause hardship for affected customers, so this is not something we take lightly.”
Hawaiian Electric, the state’s largest electric utility, said the outages would mainly occur along Oahu’s Waianae coast — a part of the island traditionally prone to wildfires — and would affect about 2,700 customers. Similar power outages on the islands of Maui and Hawaii could affect a total of 45,400 customers, the company added.
“Thus, under certain circumstances, to reduce the wildfire risk of their electrical infrastructure, Hawaiian Electric would shut off power in known high-risk areas based on local geographic conditions and the characteristics of the electrical system in those areas,” the city said . Emergency Management Director Hiro Toiya told the Citizens Advisory Commission on Emergency Management on Thursday morning.
In areas on Oahu where underground utilities are present, power will likely not be interrupted, Toiya said.
“But if the power lines are overhanging wooden poles, there is a lot of vegetation in the area and there are strong winds, it may make sense to preventively turn off the power in those areas,” he said.
Hawaiian Electric will have “specific conditions for each portion of the power grid as far as the causative wind speeds, humidity and other conditions may be,” he said.
“So it’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all approach based on a red flag warning from the National Weather Service,” he added. “Issuing a red flag warning does not mean HECO will turn off power in these areas.”
Still, Toiya said the concerns for the city are “essentially twofold.”
“One has to do with the impact on critical infrastructure, and therefore on the lifelines that people depend on and that public safety agencies depend on,” he said.
That includes the city’s critical services, such as communications, and the water supply system.
“If there is no power to a water pumping station, it would not only impact the ability of individuals to access water, but also the ability of firefighters to access water, in some cases, when we face a high risk of wildfires. scenario,” he said.
The second concerns the impact on Oahu’s most vulnerable populations “and on those who may rely on power to stay alive,” Toiya said. “For those who depend on power to stay alive, that can of course be a life-threatening situation.”
He noted that threats such as hurricanes or a cyber attack could knock out the island’s power grid at any time.
“We all need to be collectively prepared for a power outage, but the difference here is that it has the potential to have a long-lasting impact that takes place in anticipation of a major event,” he said.
Hawaiian Electric did not speak at Thursday’s commission meeting.
Commissioner Lani Hubbard said Hawaiian Electric’s power shutoffs will impact people with low incomes and chronic medical problems.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, buy a generator,’ but you’re dealing with a socially disadvantaged population, and there are concerns about ventilator support, with oxygen, especially when you’re talking about days (without power) ),” she said.
She added that “the other option is to evacuate.”
“But again, that’s easier said than done,” she said. “We have patients who are bedridden, and stretcher transport would be the only way to get them to another location. I just wonder what these really medically vulnerable patients are that are really going to be affected by this.”
Toiya said city resources may have difficulty responding during PSPS events.
“We could set up public shelters, but we don’t have health care services in these shelters,” he said. “They could be Red Cross volunteers or city employees who have no medical training whatsoever, while other essential services must continue.”
Hubbard asked, “And how far in advance will the community be notified?”
Toiya said it depended on the weather, “so to what extent the National Weather Service can also give us forecasts for high winds and dry conditions,” he said, but added: “We don’t have a lot of warning about the situation. these (conditions).”
Hawaiian Electric says it plans to provide 24 to 48 hours’ notice before a PSPS occurs.
“But if conditions are suddenly dangerous, we may have to turn off your power with little or no notice,” the company says. “Activate your emergency plan, have your home survival kit ready and watch for notifications from Hawaiian Electric and its emergency partners.”
“Crews will restore power as soon as it is safe, which could take hours or even days depending on the location and extent of damage,” the company said.
Hawaiian Electric says it is also taking steps to mitigate potential hazards, including advancing its $190 million grid resilience plan to protect against wildfires, hurricanes, tsunamis and floods, and adapt to climate change.
“Half of this multi-year program is to be paid for by the federal government, while the other half is to be paid by customers,” the company said.
