Hawai’i Electric Light estimates that about 30,000 customers in areas around the Big Island were affected by a CT-4 unit tripping offline at the Keahole Power Plant around 10:20 a.m. Thursday morning.
As a result of the unit going offline, automated load-shedding, a necessity to protect the island’s power grid, was implemented, an alternate generation was started, and power began to be restored at about 10:40 a.m., with the majority of customers back online.
According to the utility company, about 1,500 customers in Hawaiian Paradise Park were without electricity until 11:03 a.m.
“We understand that power outages are disruptive, and we sincerely apologize to our customers who were inconvenienced by this interruption,” said spokeswoman Rhea Lee-Moku. “We are working to identify the cause and will make repairs once the cause is determined.”
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Hawai’i Electric Light said in a statement that most utility grids occasionally lose generation suddenly, whether it’s due to a generator tripping offline or weather conditions. The loss of generation has a large impact on an island grid because there are no additional utility grids interconnected.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience,” Lee-Moku said. “We want to assure our customers that we have sufficient generation to continue to serve our community.”
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