Power Outage Scheduled in N. Kohala This Month

Hawaiian Electric has scheduled power outage later this month that will affect customers in North Kohala to allow for a system upgrade.

The outage is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, and go till the next morning at 6 a.m. on July 30. There will also be partial road closures on Kohala Mountain Road between mile markers 6 and 10 and on Akoni Pule Highway between mile markers 22 and 25. Motorists are advised to drive with caution in these areas.

“This temporary outage is necessary to allow Hawaiian Electric personnel to safely perform maintenance and upgrade infrastructure and equipment for system reliability and resilience,” Hawaiian Electric stated in a press release Thursday, July 1. “The work is being performed overnight to minimize disruption to customers.”

The affected communities are Hawī, Kapa‘au and Halaula, as well as customers along Kohala Mountain Road between mile markers 6 and 9.

Customers are advised to unplug sensitive equipment prior to the outage and to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Those who depend on medication or life support equipment should make arrangements for a back-up power supply or transportation to a facility outside the affected area.

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Water Supply (DWS) recommends that residents store enough water for their use for the night. DWS will set up a temporary spigot on a fire hydrant near the Ka‘auhuhu Transfer Station for the community’s use during the power outage.

For questions regarding the scheduled outage, call Hawaiian Electric at 808-969-6666.