CONSERVATION ALERT: Hawaii Island customers asked to reduce electricity use until 9 p.m. tonight

News Release from HECO, Nov 22, 2022

HILO, Nov. 22, 2022 - Hawaiian Electric is asking Hawaii Island customers to limit their use of electricity from now to 9 p.m. tonight. The need for conservation is prompted by the unexpected loss of several large generators. In addition, wind resources are forecast to be lower than usual and electricity demand has been unusually high since last week due to humid weather.

Hawaiian Electric's combustion turbine CT-1 unit and steam generator Hill 6 are offline due to emergency repairs and Keahole Power Plant steam turbine annual maintenance work continues. In addition, one unit at Hamakua Energy, an independent power producer, remains offline due to unexpected issues. Combined, these units usually supply about 66 megawatts of power. Independent power producer Puna Geothermal Venture's output also is lower than expected.

The evening peak demand is when electricity use is highest. Using less electricity from 5 to 9 p.m. helps ensure enough power is available during those hours. Conservation methods include turning off air conditioners and unnecessary lighting, shutting off water heaters, and delaying activities like cooking, showering, laundry, and dishwashing. Larger commercial customers, including government, hotels and retail, were asked to voluntarily reduce electricity use.

If necessary, rolling 30-minute outages will be initiated to protect the electric system and prevent loss of power to an even greater number of customers. The impacted areas and the timing of the outages will be based on the amount of electric demand that needs to be reduced. Hawaiian Electric will notify customers in advance through social media. Please check @HIElectricLight on Twitter for updates.

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Hawaiian Electric lifts call for power conservation on Hawaii Island

Thanks customers for their cooperation

News Release from HECO 11/22/2022

HILO, Nov. 22, 2022 (7:20 p.m.) - Hawaiian Electric has lifted its call for Hawaii Island customers to conserve electricity. Customers may resume their normal use of electricity tonight.

Earlier today, residential and commercial customers were asked to conserve from 5 to 9 p.m. when electricity use is highest. Thousands of households as well as small and large commercial customers who reduced their use of electricity helped prevent the need for rolling outages.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank everyone for doing their part to conserve electricity and help keep the lights on. Your efforts made the difference," said Kristen Okinaka, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson. "We've been working to repair our units and return them to service as quickly as possible."

The request was prompted by the unexpected loss of several large generators. Hawaiian Electric's combustion turbine CT-1 unit and steam generator Hill 6 are offline due to emergency repairs and Keahole Power Plant steam turbine annual maintenance work continues. In addition, one unit at Hamakua Energy, an independent power producer, remains offline due to unexpected issues. Combined, these units usually supply about 66 megawatts of power. Independent power producer Puna Geothermal Venture's output also is lower than expected. Wind resources also were forecast to be lower than usual and electricity demand has been unusually high since last week due to humid weather.

If another large generating unit had tripped offline, the company might have had to initiate rolling 30-minute outages to protect the electric system and prevent loss of power to an even greater number of customers.