How will Hawaiian Electric work to reduce wildfire risks? The utility outlined its plans in a new, three-year Wildfire Safety Strategy filed Jan. 10 with the state Public Utilities Commission.
In an announcement Monday, Hawaiian Electric said the “safety blueprint” expands upon a plan first created in 2019 and updated following the windstorm and wildfires on Maui in August 2023.
Wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023, burned in several areas of the Valley Isle, including a blaze that destroyed much of Lahaina town and killed more than 100 people.
A preliminary after-action report from the U.S. Fire Administration published in February 2024 — about six months after the fires — noted that the Maui fires destroyed more than 2,200 structures and caused approximately $5.5 billion in damage.
The PUC in September ordered Hawaiian Electric to file a wildfire safety strategy report — the utility’s wildfire risk mitigation plan — no later than Jan. 10.
Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura said in the plan filed with the PUC that the Wildfire Safety Strategy, which builds upon previous plans and efforts, aims to “minimize ignition risks from our infrastructure.”
“Our modeling estimates that the comprehensive work within this strategy will reduce the risk of wildfires associated with utility infrastructure by approximately 70% by 2027, while balancing affordability and reliability for customers,” she wrote. “While these measures may occasionally require trade-offs, such as outages during high-risk conditions, we believe they are essential for protecting lives and communities.”
Here are five takeaways from the plan:
- After the wildfires, Hawaiian Electric said in the filing it worked to reduce wildfire risk through its Wildfire Immediate Action Plan, and last year, the utility invested about $120 million to make wildfire safety improvements. That work included the rollout of a Public Safety Shutoff Program; implementing “enhanced fast trip,” or a setting that shuts off power when a disturbance is detected; replacing and testing more than 1,000 utility poles; upgrading miles of overhead power lines; and cleaning “intrusive vegetation” near some electrical equipment.
- Efforts to reduce risk by 68% to 72% — with a target of 70% — over the next three years includes continued grid hardening, inspections and vegetation management, with a focus on areas with medium to high risk of a fire starting; installing more weather stations and hazard-detection cameras; work to lessen the impact of disruptions caused by mitigation efforts; continued engagement with stakeholders and the community; continuous improvement to the Wildfire Safety Strategy and fostering collaboration.
- The utility said in an announcement Monday that the estimated cost of the 2025 to 2027 plan is approximately $450 million, with $137 million budgeted for work in 2024. Some cost is funded through existing programs, such as a federal grant received in 2024, and additional federal funding is being sought, the announcement noted.
- Hawaiian Electric has spent more than $4 billion over the past 20 years to “strengthen the safety and reliability of the electricity grid that powers over 471,000 customers.” The utility serves five islands, including Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii Island,.
- Hawaiian Electric has asked the PUC approve or accept the Wildfire Safety Strategy by September 2025, which will "establish the WSS as the agreed foundational plan and path forward and allow Hawaiian Electric to timely implement its WSS plan and seek cost recovery." The utility said, too, it will seek cost recovery approval for incremental costs in a separate EPRM, or Extraordinary Project Recovery Mechanism, application which it expects to file before the end of the first quarter.
Hawaiian Electric is one of seven defendants — which also includes the state, Maui County, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Co., Hawaiian Telcom and Spectrum/Charter Communications — who reached a proposed $4 billion global settlement to resolve lawsuits related to the wildfires last August. The matter has an upcoming court date, per a recent report from Civil Beat.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
